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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 116 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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. mate — a partner
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. hand — help
  10. hand — in cards
  11. cap — a hat
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. race — humankind
  14. cap — of ice
  15. bear — the animal
  16. mate — a friend
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. race — a contest
  20. cap — a lid
  21. mate — to breed
  22. rash — a series
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. race — the arms race

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