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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: arm · race · degree · date · root · wind · stand · fan

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — moving air
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. degree — temperature
  8. degree — an amount
  9. root — the cause
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. root — of a plant
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. stand — to bear
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. race — humankind
  17. root — of a word
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. date — the fruit
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. race — the arms race
  23. degree — from a university
  24. fan — a supporter

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