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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: pit · race · stem · wind · track · stand · straw · saw

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. track — a song
  3. wind — moving air
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. track — to keep track
  7. pit — in a race
  8. track — a path
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. saw — the tool
  12. pit — a hole
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. saw — the tool
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. race — the arms race
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. race — a contest
  21. wind — moving air
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. stand — to bear
  24. straw — a straw man

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