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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: spring · last · cap · clip · wave · stick · fan · race

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. last — to go on
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. cap — of ice
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. spring — of water
  8. clip — to cut
  9. cap — a hat
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. race — the arms race
  13. last — final
  14. spring — a coil
  15. clip — a video
  16. cap — a lid
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. clip — for paper
  19. spring — the season
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. race — humankind
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. last — finally
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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