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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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Word bank
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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: wind · race · march · craft · season · calf

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. craft — boats
  3. march — the month
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. wind — moving air
  6. season — in sport
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. season — of the year
  9. race — the arms race
  10. race — humankind
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. craft — a skill
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. march — music
  15. wind — moving air
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. march — the month
  18. craft — a handicraft

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