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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: spring · race · squash · rush · hand · calf · drill · key

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. spring — a coil
  3. race — humankind
  4. squash — the sport
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. drill — a practice
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. spring — the season
  10. key — for a lock
  11. drill — army training
  12. race — the arms race
  13. squash — to crush
  14. drill — the tool
  15. hand — help
  16. key — in music
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. rush — hurry
  20. spring — of water
  21. race — a contest
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. hand — in cards
  24. key — the most important part

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