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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. race — the arms race
  4. stem — to come from
  5. race — humankind
  6. cell — a phone
  7. bank — for money
  8. bank — of a river
  9. race — a contest
  10. cell — in biology
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. bank — for money
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. pass — a permit
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. degree — temperature
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. degree — an amount
  24. degree — from a university

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