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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. squash — the sport
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. chest — of your body
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. fall — the season
  7. mug — a face
  8. squash — to crush
  9. stem — to come from
  10. bound — certain
  11. fall — to drop
  12. race — a contest
  13. root — of a plant
  14. chest — of your body
  15. root — the cause
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bound — obliged
  18. chest — a box
  19. mug — to rob
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. race — humankind
  22. fall — to drop
  23. mug — a cup
  24. root — of a word

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