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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. race — humankind
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. race — a contest
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. spring — a coil
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. rush — hurry
  11. race — the arms race
  12. snap — to click
  13. spring — of water
  14. spell — letters
  15. spell — magic
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. spell — a short time
  19. prune — to trim
  20. spring — the season
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. prune — to trim

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