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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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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 · bear · wake · wind · spring · nail · ball · band

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. race — a contest
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. band — a ring
  6. spring — the season
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bear — the animal
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. wake — a trail
  11. race — the arms race
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. spring — of water
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. spring — a coil
  16. race — humankind
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. band — a music group
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. ball — a great time
  24. ball — a dance

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