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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: can · pitch · spring · lean · bore · cabinet · race · clip

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. race — humankind
  3. can — a tin
  4. pitch — completely
  5. lean — to bend
  6. can — a tin
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. clip — to cut
  9. race — a contest
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. clip — for paper
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. spring — the season
  15. clip — a video
  16. lean — thin
  17. spring — of water
  18. bore — to drill
  19. can — to be able to
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. spring — a coil
  22. bore — to tire
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. race — the arms race

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