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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  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. race — humankind
  2. fall — to drop
  3. spring — a coil
  4. field — for sport
  5. track — to keep track
  6. bulb — for light
  7. press — a publisher
  8. press — to push
  9. field — farmland
  10. bulb — for light
  11. fall — the season
  12. press — newspapers
  13. spring — of water
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. track — a song
  17. spring — the season
  18. track — a path
  19. field — a subject
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. fall — to drop
  23. race — the arms race
  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