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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. mug — a face
  3. stock — shares
  4. stem — to come from
  5. stock — goods
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. spring — the season
  8. race — a contest
  9. mug — a cup
  10. snap — to click
  11. firm — steady
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. lean — to bend
  15. race — humankind
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. spring — a coil
  19. mug — to rob
  20. spring — of water
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. lean — thin
  23. firm — a company
  24. firm — decided

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