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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 120 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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. stem — to come from
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. prune — to trim
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. race — humankind
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. race — the arms race
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. prune — to trim
  20. foot — a measure
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. squash — the sport
  24. squash — to crush

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