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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: firm · row · chip · scale · straw · band · wake · race

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. firm — decided
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. scale — size or range
  5. race — humankind
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. race — a contest
  8. row — to paddle
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. wake — a trail
  11. firm — a company
  12. scale — in music
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. firm — steady
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. chip — for betting
  18. chip — to eat
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. band — a ring
  21. band — a music group
  22. row — a line
  23. race — the arms race
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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