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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: bulb · race · last · stem · cold · bear · arm · bark

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. bear — the animal
  3. race — humankind
  4. cold — not warm
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. bulb — for light
  8. last — final
  9. race — a contest
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. last — to go on
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. cold — an illness
  16. bear — the animal
  17. stem — to come from
  18. bulb — for light
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. bark — to shout
  21. last — finally
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. bark — of a tree

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