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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: tear · fork · race · wave · net · chest · stem · season

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. chest — a box
  3. tear — from crying
  4. race — the arms race
  5. tear — to rip
  6. chest — of your body
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. stem — to come from
  9. net — after costs
  10. tear — from crying
  11. chest — of your body
  12. net — in sport
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. race — humankind
  15. season — in sport
  16. season — of the year
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. net — for catching
  20. fork — in a road
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. race — a contest

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