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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: race · hand · pop · bear · spring · pass · plane · rest

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. spring — of water
  3. race — the arms race
  4. spring — a coil
  5. race — humankind
  6. spring — the season
  7. bear — the animal
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. pop — soda
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. pop — music
  12. bear — the animal
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. hand — in cards
  15. pop — to visit
  16. hand — help
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. pass — a permit
  19. rest — a break
  20. rest — what's left
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. plane — a tool
  23. rest — what's left
  24. bear — to put up with

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