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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bank · race · wound · fan · saw · stick · mug · sharp

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. mug — a face
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. bank — for money
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. wound — an injury
  10. saw — the tool
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. sharp — clever
  13. race — the arms race
  14. race — a contest
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. wound — an injury
  18. mug — a cup
  19. mug — to rob
  20. bank — of a river
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. bank — for money
  24. saw — the tool

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