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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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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: stick · pit · straw · wave · bank · fan · race · sharp

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. pit — in a race
  8. race — a contest
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. race — humankind
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. pit — a hole
  16. sharp — clever
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. bank — for money
  20. bank — of a river
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. race — the arms race
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. bank — for money

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