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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 · roll · club · kick · hide · stem

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. stem — to come from
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. race — a contest
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. kick — in football
  9. race — the arms race
  10. roll — a list
  11. club — for dancing
  12. roll — a cake
  13. club — a group
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. club — for golf

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