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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 · bear · racket · pop · race · scale · cell · mine

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. race — the arms race
  3. scale — in music
  4. pop — music
  5. stem — to come from
  6. scale — size or range
  7. pop — soda
  8. race — a contest
  9. cell — a phone
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. race — humankind
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bear — the animal
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mine — for digging
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. pop — to visit
  24. stem — a stem cell

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