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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: race · shower · mine · plane · rash · craft · saw · wake

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. rash — hasty
  4. race — the arms race
  5. shower — rain
  6. saw — the tool
  7. craft — boats
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. race — a contest
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. craft — a skill
  14. plane — a tool
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. shower — to wash
  17. race — humankind
  18. mine — for digging
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rash — a series
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. wake — a trail

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