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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.

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: snap · wave · current · fan · row · mine · rash · race

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. rash — a series
  3. snap — to click
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. current — electric
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. race — the arms race
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. row — a line
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. row — to paddle
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. current — of water
  15. race — a contest
  16. current — happening now
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. rash — hasty
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. race — humankind
  24. mine — for digging

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