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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 · ruler · straw · ball · capital · stem · fan · wound

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. race — the arms race
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. ball — a great time
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. stem — to come from
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. capital — money
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. race — a contest
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. ball — a dance
  21. wound — an injury
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. race — humankind
  24. fan — to cool the air

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