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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: mark · drill · race · bulb · fan · land · rest · lash

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. race — a contest
  3. land — ground
  4. land — a country
  5. rest — a break
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. drill — army training
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. rest — what's left
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. drill — the tool
  14. land — to come down
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. race — humankind
  17. race — the arms race
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — for light
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. mark — a trace
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. mark — a grade
  24. drill — a practice

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