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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. kid — to tease
  4. bear — the animal
  5. file — a document
  6. race — the arms race
  7. bear — the animal
  8. file — a tool
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. race — humankind
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. squash — to crush
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. race — a contest
  16. board — to get on
  17. stem — to come from
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. file — a line of people
  21. kid — child
  22. squash — the sport
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. board — a committee

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