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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: stem · file · race · date · wind · season · dip · cap

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. file — a line of people
  3. race — the arms race
  4. season — in sport
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. date — the fruit
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. file — a document
  9. cap — of ice
  10. stem — to come from
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. dip — to sink
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. wind — moving air
  17. cap — a hat
  18. race — a contest
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. wind — moving air
  21. file — a tool
  22. season — of the year
  23. cap — a lid
  24. dip — to dunk

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