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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stem — to come from
  4. band — a music group
  5. race — humankind
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. rash — a series
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. root — the cause
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. band — a ring
  12. race — a contest
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. pop — to visit
  16. root — of a word
  17. root — of a plant
  18. rash — hasty
  19. pop — music
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. race — the arms race
  24. pop — soda

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