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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: fork · net · arm · cell · race · bear · key · stem

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. net — for catching
  3. race — a contest
  4. cell — in biology
  5. race — the arms race
  6. cell — a phone
  7. race — humankind
  8. net — after costs
  9. key — for a lock
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. net — in sport
  13. key — in music
  14. bear — the animal
  15. fork — in a road
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. key — the most important part
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. stem — to come from
  24. bear — the animal

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