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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 120 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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. race — humankind
  3. bank — for money
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. saw — the tool
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. stem — to come from
  8. fork — in a road
  9. track — to keep track
  10. bank — for money
  11. track — a song
  12. saw — the tool
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. wound — an injury
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. race — the arms race
  18. wound — an injury
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. track — a path
  22. perch — the fish
  23. race — a contest
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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