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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: race · season · craft · row · file · wave · bark · fall

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. race — a contest
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. race — humankind
  5. craft — boats
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. row — to paddle
  9. fall — the season
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. bark — to shout
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. file — a line of people
  16. season — of the year
  17. fall — to drop
  18. season — in sport
  19. craft — a skill
  20. row — a line
  21. file — a tool
  22. file — a document
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. fall — to drop

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