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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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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: sharp · wave · charge · race · wake · fall · spring · tear

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. race — the arms race
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. wake — a trail
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. tear — from crying
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. charge — in control
  11. spring — of water
  12. sharp — clever
  13. fall — to drop
  14. spring — the season
  15. race — humankind
  16. race — a contest
  17. charge — a price
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. tear — to rip
  20. fall — the season
  21. charge — electricity
  22. tear — from crying
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. fall — to drop

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