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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: squash · spring · bore · race · craft · hide · swing · wake

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. race — a contest
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. spring — of water
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. spring — the season
  10. wake — a trail
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. race — the arms race
  14. craft — a skill
  15. craft — boats
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. squash — to crush
  18. swing — to play on
  19. swing — in golf
  20. race — humankind
  21. swing — music
  22. spring — a coil
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. bore — to drill

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