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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. race — a contest
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. bat — the animal
  6. race — the arms race
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. mark — a trace
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. stem — to come from
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. mark — a grade
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. bore — to tire
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. bore — to drill
  19. wax — to grow
  20. hand — help
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. hand — in cards
  24. bat — for baseball

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