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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 · hide · stand · race · spell · rash · staff · pound

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. stand — to bear
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. race — the arms race
  9. spell — a short time
  10. staff — a stick
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. spell — letters
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. wake — a trail
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. race — humankind
  17. pound — a weight
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. rash — a series
  20. race — a contest
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. staff — employees
  23. spell — magic
  24. staff — employees

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