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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: race · wave · root · swing · can · board · cell · cold

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cold — an illness
  4. race — a contest
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. race — humankind
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — to be able to
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. can — a tin
  12. root — the cause
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. board — a committee
  15. swing — in golf
  16. root — of a plant
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. cold — not warm
  19. cell — in biology
  20. board — to get on
  21. swing — to play on
  22. swing — music
  23. race — the arms race
  24. root — of a word

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