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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: wound · race · stem · rest · foot · chest · rule · lean

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. rest — what's left
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. race — a contest
  5. race — humankind
  6. chest — of your body
  7. rule — a law
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. race — the arms race
  11. stem — to come from
  12. rest — a break
  13. chest — a box
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. wound — an injury
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. foot — a measure
  20. wound — an injury
  21. chest — of your body
  22. lean — to bend
  23. lean — thin
  24. foot — part of the body

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