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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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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: track · scale · race · rash · wound · spell · clip · suit

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. clip — a video
  3. track — a song
  4. race — humankind
  5. rash — hasty
  6. race — a contest
  7. suit — clothes
  8. race — the arms race
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. scale — size or range
  11. spell — a short time
  12. scale — in music
  13. rash — a series
  14. track — to keep track
  15. spell — letters
  16. clip — for paper
  17. track — a path
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. clip — to cut
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. suit — to fit
  22. wound — an injury
  23. spell — magic
  24. suit — in cards

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