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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 · bank · game · calf · rock · row · wind · race

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. row — a line
  3. wind — moving air
  4. race — a contest
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. bank — for money
  8. wind — moving air
  9. row — to paddle
  10. race — humankind
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. game — wild animals
  13. rock — a stone
  14. rock — music
  15. race — the arms race
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. bank — for money
  20. bank — of a river
  21. game — a match
  22. wake — a trail
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. calf — a young animal

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