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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 broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. race — the arms race
  3. drill — the tool
  4. tear — to rip
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. mate — a partner
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. mine — for digging
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — from crying
  13. race — a contest
  14. stem — to come from
  15. drill — army training
  16. mate — a friend
  17. drill — a practice
  18. race — humankind
  19. club — for golf
  20. club — a group
  21. club — for dancing
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. mate — to breed
  24. mine — belonging to me

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