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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 120 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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. race — humankind
  3. game — wild animals
  4. race — the arms race
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. fine — all right
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. pass — a permit
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. stem — to come from
  16. mine — for digging
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. fine — high quality
  22. game — a match
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. race — a contest

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