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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. bound — obliged
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. stem — to come from
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bound — certain
  8. rest — a break
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. rest — what's left
  11. race — a contest
  12. cold — not warm
  13. race — the arms race
  14. wound — an injury
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. wound — an injury
  17. race — humankind
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. wax — to grow
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. cold — an illness
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. rest — what's left

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