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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: rock · stem · rest · cap · kick · race

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. rest — what's left
  3. race — humankind
  4. cap — a lid
  5. race — a contest
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. rest — a break
  8. rest — what's left
  9. race — the arms race
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. rock — a stone
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. rock — music
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. stem — to come from
  17. cap — a hat
  18. kick — in football

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