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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: cabinet · spring · bound · kick · staff · calf · race · tear

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. staff — employees
  4. spring — a coil
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. tear — from crying
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. spring — the season
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. spring — of water
  11. kick — in football
  12. tear — to rip
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. staff — employees
  16. race — humankind
  17. race — the arms race
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bound — certain
  23. staff — a stick
  24. race — a contest

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