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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. cap — of ice
  3. race — a contest
  4. race — the arms race
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. spring — the season
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. bank — for money
  10. stem — to come from
  11. kid — to tease
  12. kid — child
  13. cap — a lid
  14. bank — of a river
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. spring — a coil
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. bank — for money
  20. spring — of water
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. cap — a hat
  24. race — humankind

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