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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.

Make a worksheet

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: bass · race · kick · current · wave · tube · wound · spell

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. race — the arms race
  5. race — a contest
  6. spell — magic
  7. bass — the fish
  8. race — humankind
  9. spell — letters
  10. current — electric
  11. current — of water
  12. bass — low music
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. current — happening now
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. wound — an injury
  19. tube — the underground
  20. wound — an injury
  21. spell — a short time
  22. tube — a container
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. kick — in football

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