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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: mug · mate · fan · saw · race · dip · snap · stem

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. saw — the tool
  5. stem — to come from
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. dip — to sink
  10. snap — to click
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. mug — a face
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. race — a contest
  15. saw — the tool
  16. race — the arms race
  17. mug — a cup
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. mug — to rob
  20. mate — to breed
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. mate — a friend
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. race — humankind

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