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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. race — humankind
  5. can — a tin
  6. season — of the year
  7. can — to be able to
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. perch — the fish
  11. branch — a division
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. race — the arms race
  14. can — a tin
  15. kid — child
  16. season — in sport
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. bulb — for light
  19. stem — to come from
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. kid — to tease
  22. bulb — for light
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. stem — of a plant

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