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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. spell — a short time
  6. race — humankind
  7. net — after costs
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. spell — letters
  10. game — wild animals
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. bear — the animal
  13. net — in sport
  14. spell — magic
  15. bear — the animal
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. game — a match
  18. race — the arms race
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. race — a contest
  21. snap — to click
  22. net — for catching
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. stem — to come from

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