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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 116 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: stem · snap · rest · land · race · bank · pit · perch

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. land — a country
  3. bank — for money
  4. rest — what's left
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. pit — a hole
  7. pit — in a race
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. rest — what's left
  10. land — ground
  11. stem — to come from
  12. race — the arms race
  13. perch — the fish
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. race — humankind
  17. rest — a break
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. bank — for money
  21. race — a contest
  22. bank — of a river
  23. snap — to click
  24. land — to come down

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