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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: stem · roll · swing · leaves · date · nail · drill · race

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. race — humankind
  3. swing — to play on
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. stem — to come from
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. race — a contest
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. date — the fruit
  10. race — the arms race
  11. swing — in golf
  12. drill — the tool
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. drill — army training
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. drill — a practice
  21. swing — music
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. roll — a cake

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