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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. bank — for money
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. file — a line of people
  5. race — a contest
  6. season — of the year
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bank — for money
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. race — humankind
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. fall — to drop
  14. race — the arms race
  15. fork — in a road
  16. bass — low music
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. file — a document
  19. fall — the season
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. bank — of a river
  23. file — a tool
  24. season — in sport

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