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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.

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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: race · lean · pass · snap · saw · last · bulb · wound

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. race — humankind
  3. snap — to click
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. lean — thin
  6. race — a contest
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. lean — to bend
  10. race — the arms race
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. pass — a permit
  16. last — final
  17. wound — an injury
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. last — to go on
  21. last — finally
  22. bulb — for light
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. bulb — for light

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