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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. race — the arms race
  3. race — humankind
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. chair — a leader
  6. bank — of a river
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. stem — to come from
  9. perch — the fish
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bank — for money
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. saw — the tool
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. race — a contest
  18. wake — a trail
  19. saw — the tool
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bank — for money
  22. bear — the animal
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. bear — to put up with

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