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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: saw · wound · bay · nail · wind · stock · march · race

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. race — humankind
  3. saw — the tool
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. race — a contest
  9. stock — shares
  10. march — music
  11. wound — an injury
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. stock — goods
  15. wind — moving air
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. march — the month
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. wind — moving air
  24. march — the month

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