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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. race — a contest
  4. cap — a hat
  5. craft — a skill
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. land — to come down
  9. plane — a tool
  10. hand — in cards
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. race — the arms race
  14. craft — boats
  15. kick — in football
  16. cap — a lid
  17. land — a country
  18. land — ground
  19. cap — of ice
  20. stem — to come from
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. race — humankind
  24. kick — with a leg

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