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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. ball — a great time
  3. race — humankind
  4. present — a gift
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. band — a ring
  7. present — the time now
  8. race — a contest
  9. race — the arms race
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. rash — a series
  13. ball — a dance
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. rash — hasty
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. band — a music group
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. stem — to come from
  22. branch — a division
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. present — there

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