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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. bound — certain
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. mark — a trace
  7. hand — in cards
  8. spell — a short time
  9. bound — tied together
  10. spell — magic
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. bound — obliged
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. mark — a grade
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. race — humankind
  19. race — a contest
  20. spell — letters
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. hand — help
  23. stem — to come from
  24. deal — to handle

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