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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: spring · wind · kick · mate · race · bowl · stem · rule

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. spring — a coil
  4. mate — to breed
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. race — the arms race
  8. spring — of water
  9. stem — to come from
  10. mate — a friend
  11. race — humankind
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. kick — in football
  14. rule — a law
  15. race — a contest
  16. rule — government
  17. spring — the season
  18. mate — a partner
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — to turn a key

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