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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  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. fall — to drop
  2. track — a song
  3. track — a path
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. tube — the underground
  7. degree — from a university
  8. degree — an amount
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. can — a tin
  11. fall — the season
  12. rush — hurry
  13. can — a tin
  14. stem — to come from
  15. race — humankind
  16. tube — a container
  17. can — to be able to
  18. fall — to drop
  19. track — to keep track
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. degree — temperature
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. race — the arms race
  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