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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: stem · pit · foot · nail · plane · race · bound · bowl

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. race — the arms race
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. race — humankind
  8. stem — to come from
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. bound — obliged
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. foot — a measure
  15. bound — tied together
  16. race — a contest
  17. bound — certain
  18. pit — in a race
  19. pit — a hole
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. plane — a tool
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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