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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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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: wake · wind · nail · race · land · lie · fine · tear

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. tear — from crying
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. lie — to recline
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. land — a country
  10. race — the arms race
  11. wake — a trail
  12. land — ground
  13. wind — moving air
  14. tear — from crying
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. race — humankind
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. race — a contest
  20. fine — all right
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. land — to come down
  23. fine — high quality
  24. tear — to rip

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