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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wind · bear · wake · craft · race · mine

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. wind — moving air
  3. race — humankind
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. mine — for digging
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. race — a contest
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. craft — boats
  12. race — the arms race
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bear — the animal
  15. craft — a skill
  16. bear — the animal
  17. wake — a trail
  18. bear — to put up with

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