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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. race — humankind
  4. rash — a series
  5. mate — to breed
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. race — the arms race
  12. race — a contest
  13. mate — a friend
  14. mate — a partner
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. branch — a division
  19. mine — for digging
  20. stem — to come from
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. rash — hasty

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