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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 · spring · firm · saw · pop · plane · jam · wave

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. firm — a company
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. plane — a tool
  6. spring — the season
  7. spring — of water
  8. saw — the tool
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. saw — the tool
  13. firm — steady
  14. pop — soda
  15. pop — music
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. spring — a coil
  20. pop — to visit
  21. firm — decided
  22. race — the arms race
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. race — humankind

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