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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: race · cold · straw · rest · stem · firm

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. race — the arms race
  5. race — humankind
  6. firm — decided
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. rest — what's left
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. cold — not warm
  11. race — a contest
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. cold — an illness
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. firm — steady
  16. rest — what's left
  17. firm — a company
  18. stem — to come from

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