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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. stem — to come from
  5. root — of a word
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. root — of a plant
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. stock — shares
  11. bank — for money
  12. cell — a phone
  13. root — the cause
  14. bank — of a river
  15. fall — the season
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bank — for money
  19. cell — in biology
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. race — humankind
  22. stock — goods
  23. race — the arms race
  24. bay — a part 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