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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 116 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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. stem — to come from
  7. race — a contest
  8. chair — a leader
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — for light
  11. band — a ring
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. key — in music
  14. bore — to tire
  15. key — for a lock
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. fall — to drop
  19. band — a music group
  20. fall — the season
  21. bore — to drill
  22. race — humankind
  23. key — the most important part
  24. race — the arms race

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