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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 120 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: degree · spring · rock · race · cell · wave · present · pit

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. rock — a stone
  3. degree — temperature
  4. present — the time now
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. rock — music
  7. present — a gift
  8. cell — in biology
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. degree — from a university
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. degree — an amount
  14. spring — a coil
  15. spring — the season
  16. pit — in a race
  17. pit — a hole
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. spring — of water
  20. present — there
  21. race — a contest
  22. cell — a phone
  23. race — humankind
  24. rock — to move gently

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