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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 120 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: arm · spring · race · fan · spell · net · object · hide

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. spell — a short time
  5. object — to protest
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. race — a contest
  8. spring — a coil
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. net — for catching
  11. spell — magic
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. spell — letters
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. spring — the season
  16. spring — of water
  17. object — a thing
  18. net — after costs
  19. net — in sport
  20. race — the arms race
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. race — humankind

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