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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: wake · race · spring · charge · wound · roll · foot · sharp

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. roll — a list
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. spring — of water
  5. sharp — clever
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wound — an injury
  8. race — a contest
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. race — humankind
  11. race — the arms race
  12. charge — in control
  13. charge — electricity
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. wound — an injury
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. spring — the season
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. roll — a cake
  21. spring — a coil
  22. foot — a measure
  23. charge — a price
  24. wake — a trail

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