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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: cold · present · stem · rest · nail · arm · race · cap

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. present — there
  3. cap — a hat
  4. cap — of ice
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. race — the arms race
  9. cold — an illness
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. cap — a lid
  12. race — a contest
  13. rest — what's left
  14. present — a gift
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. rest — a break
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. cold — not warm
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. race — humankind
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. stem — to come from
  23. rest — what's left
  24. present — the time now

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