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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 116 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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. swing — in golf
  3. band — a music group
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. swing — to play on
  6. race — humankind
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. firm — a company
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. wound — an injury
  14. spell — magic
  15. firm — decided
  16. band — a ring
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. spell — a short time
  19. swing — music
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. race — the arms race
  22. stem — to come from
  23. spell — letters
  24. firm — steady

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