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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: game · wound · board · spell · hand · stem · race · bass

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. spell — magic
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. hand — in cards
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. game — wild animals
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. board — to get on
  10. stem — to come from
  11. wound — an injury
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. race — a contest
  14. spell — letters
  15. wound — an injury
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. spell — a short time
  18. race — humankind
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bass — low music
  22. board — a committee
  23. hand — help
  24. game — a match

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