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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: ground · calf · race · face · cue · root · spring · club

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. race — a contest
  3. race — humankind
  4. club — for dancing
  5. cue — for pool
  6. race — the arms race
  7. club — for golf
  8. root — of a plant
  9. cue — a signal
  10. root — of a word
  11. face — to confront
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. root — the cause
  14. face — to point toward
  15. spring — a coil
  16. ground — crushed
  17. spring — of water
  18. spring — the season
  19. ground — a position
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. ground — the earth
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. cue — a hint
  24. face — part of the head

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