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

Word bank: season · race · hide · tear · fork · mouse · straw · calf

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. tear — to rip
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. season — in sport
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. season — of the year
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. race — humankind
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. race — a contest
  15. tear — from crying
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. fork — in a road
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. tear — from crying
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. calf — a young animal

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