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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rash · drill · mouse · wave · race · hand · tube · wound

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. drill — army training
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. hand — help
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. race — the arms race
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. tube — the underground
  11. drill — a practice
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. wound — an injury
  14. rash — hasty
  15. drill — the tool
  16. rash — a series
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. tube — a container
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. race — humankind
  22. race — a contest
  23. wound — an injury
  24. hand — 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