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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. race — humankind
  3. drill — the tool
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. key — in music
  8. cold — an illness
  9. stem — to come from
  10. race — the arms race
  11. rule — a law
  12. race — a contest
  13. rule — government
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. drill — a practice
  17. band — a music group
  18. band — a ring
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. key — the most important part
  21. cold — not warm
  22. drill — army training
  23. key — for a lock
  24. cold — the Cold War

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