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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 120 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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. race — humankind
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. bass — the fish
  6. ground — the earth
  7. ground — crushed
  8. club — for dancing
  9. club — for golf
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. perch — the fish
  12. ground — a position
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. object — a thing
  15. race — a contest
  16. object — an aim
  17. bass — low music
  18. club — a group
  19. race — the arms race
  20. fork — in a road
  21. stem — to come from
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. object — to protest

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