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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: race · rash · rock · clip · wave · land · hand · trunk

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. race — the arms race
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. clip — to cut
  5. race — humankind
  6. rock — a stone
  7. land — a country
  8. hand — in cards
  9. hand — help
  10. rash — a series
  11. rash — hasty
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. clip — a video
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. race — a contest
  17. clip — for paper
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. rock — music
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. land — to come down
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. land — ground

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