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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: race · spring · bore · pop · deal · nail · rock · stem

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. stem — to come from
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. race — a contest
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. deal — to handle
  9. pop — to visit
  10. spring — a coil
  11. spring — the season
  12. rock — a stone
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. bore — to drill
  15. bore — to tire
  16. rock — music
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. pop — soda
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. race — the arms race
  21. pop — music
  22. spring — of water
  23. race — humankind
  24. nail — on a finger

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