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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. race — a contest
  8. saw — the tool
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. wind — moving air
  13. saw — the tool
  14. band — a ring
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. race — the arms race
  19. race — humankind
  20. band — a music group
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. stem — to come from
  24. wave — of the sea

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