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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 116 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: rush · lean · bay · race · ground · march · saw · wave

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. saw — the tool
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. lean — to bend
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. rush — hurry
  7. march — the month
  8. ground — the earth
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. march — music
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. ground — a position
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. saw — the tool
  16. race — a contest
  17. race — humankind
  18. race — the arms race
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. march — the month
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. lean — thin

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