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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. row — to paddle
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. race — a contest
  5. race — humankind
  6. cell — a phone
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. stand — to bear
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. cell — in biology
  14. race — the arms race
  15. wax — to grow
  16. stem — to come from
  17. sharp — clever
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. row — a line
  24. deal — to handle

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