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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: content · race · stem · kid · track · wave · wind · nail

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. stem — to come from
  3. track — a song
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. race — the arms race
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. track — to keep track
  14. content — the amount
  15. wind — moving air
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. race — humankind
  20. content — happy
  21. wind — moving air
  22. kid — to tease
  23. track — a path
  24. kid — child

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