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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. fork — in a road
  3. bore — to tire
  4. race — a contest
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. branch — a division
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. last — to go on
  11. race — humankind
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. plane — a tool
  14. wound — an injury
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. last — final
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. bore — to drill
  19. race — the arms race
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. last — finally
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. wound — an injury

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