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

Word bank: cell · race · wave · bowl · current · lean

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. race — a contest
  5. current — electric
  6. race — humankind
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. current — happening now
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. race — the arms race
  13. lean — to bend
  14. cell — in biology
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. lean — thin
  17. cell — a phone
  18. current — of water

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