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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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. pop — music
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. race — a contest
  5. pop — to visit
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. cold — not warm
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. cold — an illness
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. race — the arms race
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. date — the fruit
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. race — humankind
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. pop — soda
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. stem — to come from
  24. stem — a stem cell

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