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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: race · rest · plane · stem · clip · ground · fall · saw

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. clip — for paper
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. fall — to drop
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. ground — the earth
  8. race — humankind
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. saw — the tool
  11. fall — the season
  12. race — a contest
  13. rest — what's left
  14. fall — to drop
  15. clip — to cut
  16. rest — a break
  17. ground — crushed
  18. clip — a video
  19. stem — to come from
  20. saw — the tool
  21. plane — a tool
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. ground — a position
  24. rest — what's left

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