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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. spell — magic
  3. stem — to come from
  4. capital — a city
  5. race — the arms race
  6. race — humankind
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. capital — money
  10. spell — letters
  11. spell — a short time
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. pound — a weight
  15. race — a contest
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. pop — music
  18. pop — to visit
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. leaves — lets stay

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