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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. race — a contest
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. file — a tool
  6. file — a document
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. race — humankind
  11. race — the arms race
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. stem — to come from
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. file — a line of people
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. mouse — for a computer

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