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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. race — a contest
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. wind — moving air
  8. race — the arms race
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. stand — to bear
  11. wind — moving air
  12. race — humankind
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. wound — an injury
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. pitch — completely
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. wound — an injury
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. stem — to come from

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