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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. race — humankind
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. craft — boats
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. snap — to click
  10. race — the arms race
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. craft — a skill
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. spring — a coil
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. race — a contest
  20. spring — of water
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. stem — to come from
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. coach — a trainer

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