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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. can — a tin
  3. snap — to click
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. bank — for money
  7. bank — for money
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. can — a tin
  13. foot — a measure
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. race — a contest
  21. race — the arms race
  22. bank — of a river
  23. can — to be able to
  24. patient — a sick person

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