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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: file · clip · stock · rush · wave · stand · race · shower

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. file — a line of people
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. race — humankind
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. clip — for paper
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. clip — to cut
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. stock — shares
  11. file — a document
  12. file — a tool
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. stand — to bear
  15. rush — hurry
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. stock — goods
  19. shower — to wash
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. race — the arms race
  22. clip — a video
  23. shower — rain
  24. rush — a thrill

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