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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. stem — to come from
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. tear — from crying
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. tear — from crying
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. staff — employees
  10. race — a contest
  11. staff — a stick
  12. deal — to handle
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. race — the arms race
  15. chair — a leader
  16. cap — a hat
  17. tear — to rip
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. staff — employees
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. cap — a lid
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. race — humankind
  24. chair — a professorship

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