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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: race · lean · nail · present · pass · wind · spring · court

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. present — a gift
  3. wind — moving air
  4. present — there
  5. spring — a coil
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. race — humankind
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. race — a contest
  11. spring — the season
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. wind — moving air
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. lean — to bend
  16. lean — thin
  17. present — the time now
  18. court — of law
  19. court — of a king
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. court — for sport
  22. spring — of water
  23. pass — a permit
  24. nail — for a hammer

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