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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: stand · last · degree · pound · land · stem · race · bowl

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. race — a contest
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. race — the arms race
  5. land — to come down
  6. land — a country
  7. degree — an amount
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. last — to go on
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. pound — a weight
  12. last — final
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. land — ground
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. degree — from a university
  17. stem — to come from
  18. degree — temperature
  19. race — humankind
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. stand — to bear
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. bowl — a football final

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