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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  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. rush — hurry
  2. saw — the tool
  3. stem — to come from
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. race — humankind
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. saw — the tool
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. race — the arms race
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. leaves — lets stay
  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