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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. spring — the season
  3. land — ground
  4. race — humankind
  5. race — the arms race
  6. race — a contest
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. net — for catching
  11. net — after costs
  12. stem — to come from
  13. land — a country
  14. net — in sport
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. spring — of water
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. bore — to drill
  21. land — to come down
  22. spring — a coil
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. bore — to tire

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