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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: stem · bank · swing · rash · march · cell · race · pit

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. race — a contest
  3. march — music
  4. race — humankind
  5. swing — to play on
  6. bank — for money
  7. rash — a series
  8. pit — a hole
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. stem — to come from
  13. bank — of a river
  14. swing — music
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. pit — in a race
  17. swing — in golf
  18. cell — a phone
  19. race — the arms race
  20. bank — for money
  21. rash — hasty
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. march — the month
  24. cell — in biology

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