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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. race — humankind
  3. spring — the season
  4. spring — of water
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. cap — a lid
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bear — the animal
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. cap — of ice
  12. race — a contest
  13. race — the arms race
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. cap — a hat
  18. spring — a coil
  19. bark — to shout
  20. wind — moving air
  21. plane — a tool
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. plane — an aircraft

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