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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. wound — an injury
  5. stem — to come from
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. net — in sport
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. wound — an injury
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. prune — to trim
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. net — after costs
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. rush — hurry
  17. race — a contest
  18. race — the arms race
  19. board — to get on
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. board — a committee
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. net — for catching

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