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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: spring · mug · pop · stand · rash · spell · race · file

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. mug — to rob
  3. spell — a short time
  4. stand — to bear
  5. spring — the season
  6. file — a line of people
  7. pop — music
  8. race — humankind
  9. spring — a coil
  10. race — the arms race
  11. pop — soda
  12. mug — a face
  13. rash — a series
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. pop — to visit
  17. mug — a cup
  18. race — a contest
  19. file — a tool
  20. spell — magic
  21. file — a document
  22. rash — hasty
  23. spell — letters
  24. spring — 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