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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: field · wave · pitcher · cap · lash · race · board · tear

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. field — for sport
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. cap — a lid
  6. tear — to rip
  7. tear — from crying
  8. board — to get on
  9. field — farmland
  10. cap — a hat
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. field — a subject
  13. race — the arms race
  14. race — a contest
  15. tear — from crying
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. cap — of ice
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. board — a committee
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. wave — with your hand

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