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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. cap — of ice
  3. stem — to come from
  4. present — the time now
  5. race — the arms race
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. rash — hasty
  8. club — for golf
  9. current — electric
  10. club — for dancing
  11. wound — an injury
  12. rash — a series
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. present — a gift
  15. race — humankind
  16. current — happening now
  17. cap — a lid
  18. current — of water
  19. cap — a hat
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. present — there
  22. club — a group
  23. race — a contest
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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