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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 116 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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. wind — moving air
  3. race — the arms race
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — what's left
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. current — of water
  10. current — happening now
  11. season — of the year
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. prune — to trim
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. current — electric
  16. rest — a break
  17. bat — the animal
  18. prune — to trim
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. race — humankind
  21. stem — to come from
  22. wind — moving air
  23. season — in sport
  24. race — a contest

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