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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. stem — to come from
  3. tube — the underground
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. bore — to tire
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. mark — a trace
  9. mark — a grade
  10. tube — a container
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. scale — size or range
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. race — humankind
  17. bore — to drill
  18. scale — in music
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. race — the arms race
  22. race — a contest
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. temple — side of the head

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com