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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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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: race · lean · tube · rash · press · wind · ball · wound

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. lean — to bend
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. rash — a series
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. wound — an injury
  8. race — the arms race
  9. press — newspapers
  10. press — to push
  11. tube — a container
  12. rash — hasty
  13. wound — an injury
  14. press — a publisher
  15. race — humankind
  16. tube — the underground
  17. race — a contest
  18. wind — moving air
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. ball — a dance
  22. lean — thin
  23. ball — a great time
  24. ball — a round shape

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