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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. race — a contest
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. cold — not warm
  5. file — a tool
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. file — a document
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. stem — to come from
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — an injury
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. cold — an illness
  17. race — humankind
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. race — the arms race
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. file — a line of people

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