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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  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. rest — a break
  2. rest — what's left
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. saw — the tool
  5. spring — the season
  6. rock — music
  7. race — humankind
  8. pound — a weight
  9. rock — a stone
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. date — the fruit
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. rest — what's left
  16. spring — of water
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. race — the arms race
  20. saw — the tool
  21. stem — to come from
  22. spring — a coil
  23. date — on the calendar
  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