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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. stem — to come from
  5. pass — a permit
  6. tear — from crying
  7. snap — to click
  8. key — the most important part
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. race — humankind
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. race — the arms race
  17. key — in music
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. tear — to rip
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. tear — from crying
  22. race — a contest
  23. key — for a lock
  24. bowl — a dish

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