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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: row · wake · wind · cabinet · race · staff · hide · drill

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. drill — army training
  3. row — to paddle
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. race — a contest
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. staff — a stick
  9. wake — a trail
  10. drill — the tool
  11. row — a line
  12. race — the arms race
  13. staff — employees
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. drill — a practice
  17. staff — employees
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. wind — moving air
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. race — humankind
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. wind — moving air

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