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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: staff · squash · wound · scale · race · pop · calf · season

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. pop — music
  3. pop — to visit
  4. staff — a stick
  5. staff — employees
  6. wound — an injury
  7. race — humankind
  8. race — a contest
  9. scale — in music
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. staff — employees
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. scale — size or range
  16. squash — to crush
  17. season — of the year
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. pop — soda
  20. race — the arms race
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. season — in sport
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. squash — the sport

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