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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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Word bank
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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: drill · race · rash · pop · foot · wave · mine · spell

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. pop — to visit
  3. mine — for digging
  4. race — the arms race
  5. spell — a short time
  6. race — humankind
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. rash — a series
  10. drill — army training
  11. pop — soda
  12. foot — a measure
  13. pop — music
  14. rash — hasty
  15. drill — the tool
  16. spell — magic
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. spell — letters
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. drill — a practice
  24. race — a contest

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