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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: wake · race · rest · ground · calf · current · saw · track

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ground — a position
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. rest — what's left
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. current — of water
  10. current — happening now
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. saw — the tool
  13. race — humankind
  14. rest — a break
  15. race — the arms race
  16. wake — a trail
  17. track — a path
  18. ground — the earth
  19. track — to keep track
  20. race — a contest
  21. current — electric
  22. saw — the tool
  23. track — a song
  24. rest — what's left

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