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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 124 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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. race — a contest
  3. pop — music
  4. ball — a dance
  5. race — humankind
  6. stem — to come from
  7. row — to paddle
  8. pop — to visit
  9. row — a line
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. ball — a great time
  15. race — the arms race
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. rash — hasty
  18. stock — goods
  19. stock — shares
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rash — a series
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. pop — soda

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