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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. court — for sport
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. race — the arms race
  5. tube — a container
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. race — a contest
  8. tube — the underground
  9. court — of a king
  10. bear — the animal
  11. court — of law
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. race — humankind
  14. rule — government
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. stem — to come from
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. bear — the animal
  22. plane — a tool
  23. rule — a law
  24. straw — dry grass

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