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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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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: patient · stick · snap · row · race · wind · wave · mouse

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. row — to paddle
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. race — the arms race
  6. snap — to click
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. wind — moving air
  9. row — a line
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. wind — moving air
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. race — a contest
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. race — humankind
  24. mouse — for a computer

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