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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: pop · wound · ball · can · craft · season · bear · race

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. pop — soda
  3. season — in sport
  4. ball — a dance
  5. ball — a great time
  6. pop — music
  7. wound — an injury
  8. craft — a skill
  9. can — to be able to
  10. season — of the year
  11. craft — boats
  12. race — the arms race
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. can — a tin
  15. race — a contest
  16. pop — to visit
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bear — the animal
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. wound — an injury
  23. race — humankind
  24. can — a tin

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