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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: wound · race · file · wind · mug · scale · hide · can

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. race — a contest
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. race — humankind
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. can — a tin
  7. mug — to rob
  8. mug — a cup
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. file — a document
  11. race — the arms race
  12. scale — size or range
  13. file — a tool
  14. wound — an injury
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. mug — a face
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. can — to be able to
  21. can — a tin
  22. wind — moving air
  23. scale — in music
  24. file — a line of people

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