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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. tube — a container
  3. wind — moving air
  4. tube — the underground
  5. ground — crushed
  6. fall — the season
  7. race — the arms race
  8. stem — to come from
  9. ground — the earth
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. firm — steady
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. fall — to drop
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. fall — to drop
  19. firm — a company
  20. ground — a position
  21. race — a contest
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. wind — moving air
  24. firm — decided

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