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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 116 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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. file — a tool
  4. ground — the earth
  5. race — a contest
  6. branch — a division
  7. file — a line of people
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. squash — the sport
  10. ground — crushed
  11. race — the arms race
  12. staff — a stick
  13. staff — employees
  14. row — a line
  15. stem — to come from
  16. staff — employees
  17. squash — to crush
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. ground — a position
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. file — a document
  23. row — to paddle
  24. stem — a stem cell

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