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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: bore · lash · file · racket · race · wake · wave · stem

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. race — the arms race
  7. file — a line of people
  8. wake — a trail
  9. race — a contest
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. race — humankind
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. stem — to come from
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. bore — to drill
  24. file — a document

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