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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: lean · swing · bore · race · spring · court · craft · chip

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. lean — to bend
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. court — of a king
  6. swing — to play on
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. court — of law
  9. bore — to tire
  10. lean — thin
  11. court — for sport
  12. swing — music
  13. chip — to eat
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. race — a contest
  16. spring — the season
  17. spring — a coil
  18. race — the arms race
  19. bore — to drill
  20. spring — of water
  21. swing — in golf
  22. chip — for betting
  23. craft — boats
  24. craft — a skill

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