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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 116 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 · wake · rush · mine · nail · pop · can · field

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  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. race — humankind
  2. pop — soda
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. field — farmland
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. race — a contest
  9. field — for sport
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. rush — hurry
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — a tin
  14. mine — for digging
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. pop — music
  17. field — a subject
  18. race — the arms race
  19. can — to be able to
  20. pop — to visit
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  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