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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: kick · nail · drill · lean · wound · race · stick · row

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. race — the arms race
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. row — a line
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. drill — the tool
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. row — to paddle
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. race — humankind
  12. wound — an injury
  13. drill — army training
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. lean — thin
  17. kick — in football
  18. drill — a practice
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. wound — an injury
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. race — a contest

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