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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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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: stem · roll · clip · hide · wave · race · fan · cold

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. clip — for paper
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. stem — to come from
  13. race — the arms race
  14. race — a contest
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. cold — an illness
  17. clip — to cut
  18. roll — a list
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. cold — not warm
  21. race — humankind
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. roll — a cake
  24. clip — a video

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