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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: wake · rock · field · staff · race · stem · stick · wave

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. race — the arms race
  3. race — a contest
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. wake — a trail
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. staff — employees
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. staff — employees
  12. field — farmland
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. rock — music
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. staff — a stick
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stem — to come from
  20. rock — a stone
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. field — a subject
  23. field — for sport
  24. race — humankind

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