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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. race — the arms race
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. cap — of ice
  5. clip — to cut
  6. race — humankind
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. tube — the underground
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. snap — to click
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. tube — a container
  16. clip — a video
  17. clip — for paper
  18. cap — a lid
  19. prune — to trim
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. cap — a hat
  23. prune — to trim
  24. hide — to keep secret

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