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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: snap · race · mine · dip · stem · tube · wind · arm

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. tube — a container
  5. wind — moving air
  6. tube — the underground
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. wind — moving air
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. snap — to click
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. race — humankind
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. dip — to sink
  19. stem — to come from
  20. race — the arms race
  21. race — a contest
  22. mine — for digging
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. arm — 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