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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. wind — moving air
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. race — the arms race
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. race — a contest
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. bound — obliged
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. shower — to wash
  13. stem — to come from
  14. wind — moving air
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. race — humankind
  17. bound — certain
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. mine — for digging
  20. bound — tied together
  21. shower — rain
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. mine — an explosive

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