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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: wind · rule · race · jam · bowl · stem · fan · mouse

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. race — the arms race
  11. race — humankind
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — moving air
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. rule — government
  19. race — a contest
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. rule — a law
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. bowl — a football final

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