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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: foot · wound · straw · band · pit · row · race · nail

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — an injury
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. race — a contest
  6. row — a line
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. race — humankind
  9. pit — in a race
  10. row — to paddle
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. foot — a measure
  15. race — the arms race
  16. pit — a hole
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. band — a ring
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. band — a music group

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