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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.

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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: race · wind · plane · rash · wound · lean · dip · lie

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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. wind — moving air
  4. rash — a series
  5. lean — to bend
  6. wind — moving air
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. race — the arms race
  9. plane — a tool
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. race — a contest
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. wound — an injury
  17. lie — to recline
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. lean — thin
  22. rash — hasty
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. dip — to sink

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