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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  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. race — the arms race
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. race — humankind
  4. bank — for money
  5. spring — of water
  6. spring — a coil
  7. spring — the season
  8. cold — an illness
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. foot — a measure
  11. rash — a series
  12. race — a contest
  13. bank — for money
  14. tear — from crying
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. tear — to rip
  17. cold — not warm
  18. rash — hasty
  19. bank — of a river
  20. press — to push
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. press — a publisher
  23. press — newspapers
  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