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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: jam · toast · stem · chest · race · rush · kid · tear

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. tear — to rip
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. kid — child
  5. race — humankind
  6. chest — of your body
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. rush — hurry
  11. race — a contest
  12. tear — from crying
  13. race — the arms race
  14. toast — bread
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. tear — from crying
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. stem — to come from
  19. kid — to tease
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — a box
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. rush — to hurry

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