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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: file · dip · nail · race · cold · spring · calf · leaves

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. race — humankind
  7. file — a line of people
  8. spring — a coil
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. spring — of water
  12. file — a tool
  13. race — the arms race
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. cold — not warm
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. race — a contest
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. spring — the season
  21. file — a document
  22. dip — to sink
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. leaves — to go away

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