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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: ground · roll · race · mouse · season · deal · rock · stem

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. roll — a cake
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. race — the arms race
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. season — of the year
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. season — in sport
  11. deal — to handle
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. rock — music
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. race — humankind
  16. ground — crushed
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. rock — a stone
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. ground — the earth
  21. race — a contest
  22. roll — a list
  23. stem — to come from
  24. roll — on a roll

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