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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. race — humankind
  3. wake — a trail
  4. bank — of a river
  5. race — the arms race
  6. wound — an injury
  7. mug — a face
  8. race — a contest
  9. wound — an injury
  10. clip — a video
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. mug — to rob
  14. clip — for paper
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. clip — to cut
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. bank — for money
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. bank — for money
  23. mug — a cup
  24. cabinet — ministers

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