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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 116 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: cue · race · suit · fan · tear · spring · row · pass

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. tear — from crying
  3. spring — of water
  4. race — humankind
  5. spring — a coil
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. suit — clothes
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. tear — from crying
  10. row — a line
  11. cue — a signal
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. cue — a hint
  14. race — a contest
  15. pass — a permit
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. spring — the season
  19. tear — to rip
  20. cue — for pool
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. suit — to fit
  23. row — to paddle
  24. race — the arms race

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