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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: bark · wound · fine · lash · wake · current · swing · race

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. race — humankind
  3. bark — to shout
  4. wound — an injury
  5. current — of water
  6. current — electric
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. current — happening now
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. fine — all right
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. swing — to play on
  14. wake — a trail
  15. swing — music
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. swing — in golf
  18. race — the arms race
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. race — a contest
  24. fine — high quality

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