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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. pound — a weight
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. march — music
  7. rash — hasty
  8. stem — to come from
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. spell — a short time
  13. spell — magic
  14. march — the month
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. march — the month
  18. race — the arms race
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. spell — letters
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. rash — a series
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. race — humankind

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