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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. can — a tin
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. race — the arms race
  5. stem — to come from
  6. season — in sport
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — the season
  9. can — to be able to
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. lie — to recline
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. fall — to drop
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. can — a tin
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. race — humankind
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. race — a contest
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. lie — an untruth

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