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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: lean · race · straw · stem · cap · hide · fall · rest

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. race — the arms race
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. rest — what's left
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. race — humankind
  8. cap — of ice
  9. race — a contest
  10. cap — a lid
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. cap — a hat
  15. lean — to bend
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. fall — the season
  19. rest — what's left
  20. fall — to drop
  21. lean — thin
  22. fall — to drop
  23. rest — a break
  24. lean — to rest against

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