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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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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 · rush · wave · wound · staff · tear · fork · patient

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. rush — hurry
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. staff — employees
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. fork — in a road
  7. tear — to rip
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. staff — a stick
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. staff — employees
  12. tear — from crying
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. tear — from crying
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. race — a contest
  18. wound — an injury
  19. race — the arms race
  20. wound — an injury
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. race — humankind
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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