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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: staff · wound · race · current · land · rest · lie · dip

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. land — a country
  4. wound — an injury
  5. race — humankind
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. race — the arms race
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. land — ground
  10. land — to come down
  11. staff — a stick
  12. rest — what's left
  13. current — happening now
  14. staff — employees
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. current — of water
  17. lie — to recline
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. wound — an injury
  20. current — electric
  21. staff — employees
  22. rest — what's left
  23. dip — to sink
  24. rest — a break

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