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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. wind — moving air
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. race — a contest
  8. bore — to tire
  9. bore — to drill
  10. hand — help
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. stem — to come from
  14. scale — size or range
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. race — humankind
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. scale — in music
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. hand — in cards
  24. bowl — to roll

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