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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 · pass · stem · cell · lean · bore

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. race — a contest
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. cell — in biology
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. bore — to tire
  8. race — the arms race
  9. lean — to bend
  10. stem — to come from
  11. bore — to drill
  12. lean — thin
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. race — humankind
  18. cell — a phone

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