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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: rash · board · race · rest · stem · kick · wave · fan

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. rest — a break
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. rest — what's left
  9. board — to get on
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. race — the arms race
  13. rest — what's left
  14. race — humankind
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. rash — a series
  18. kick — in football
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. rash — hasty
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. race — a contest
  23. board — a committee
  24. stem — to come from

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