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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: band · race · bay · rash · file · wave · land · bowl

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. file — a line of people
  4. band — a music group
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. race — a contest
  8. land — a country
  9. rash — a series
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. file — a tool
  14. land — to come down
  15. file — a document
  16. land — ground
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. band — a ring
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. race — humankind
  23. rash — hasty
  24. bowl — a football final

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