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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 124 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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. race — the arms race
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. cell — a phone
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. cell — in biology
  10. can — to be able to
  11. chest — a box
  12. prune — to trim
  13. can — a tin
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. mine — for digging
  17. rash — a series
  18. chest — of your body
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. can — a tin
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. race — a contest
  23. rash — hasty
  24. chest — of your body

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