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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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Word bank
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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: mine · date · pop · race · craft · stem · racket · rule

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. rule — government
  3. pop — music
  4. race — humankind
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. stem — to come from
  8. craft — a skill
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. race — the arms race
  13. date — the fruit
  14. rule — a law
  15. race — a contest
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. pop — to visit
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. pop — soda
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. craft — boats
  23. mine — for digging
  24. racket — a loud noise

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