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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. degree — temperature
  4. spring — a coil
  5. spring — of water
  6. tube — the underground
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. race — the arms race
  10. degree — from a university
  11. tube — a container
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. rest — what's left
  14. mug — to rob
  15. rest — what's left
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. stem — to come from
  18. race — a contest
  19. mug — a cup
  20. spring — the season
  21. degree — an amount
  22. race — humankind
  23. rest — a break
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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