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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. race — humankind
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. stem — to come from
  6. bank — for money
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. race — a contest
  9. roll — a cake
  10. race — the arms race
  11. bank — of a river
  12. fork — in a road
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. rest — what's left
  15. roll — a list
  16. bank — for money
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. tear — to rip
  19. rest — a break
  20. tube — a container
  21. tear — from crying
  22. rest — what's left
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. tear — from crying

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