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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: season · squash · calf · bound · rock · race · bore · ground

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  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. calf — a young animal
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. rock — music
  5. race — humankind
  6. race — the arms race
  7. bound — certain
  8. squash — to crush
  9. bound — obliged
  10. ground — a position
  11. ground — crushed
  12. rock — a stone
  13. squash — the sport
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. season — in sport
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. bound — tied together
  19. race — a contest
  20. season — of the year
  21. ground — the earth
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. squash — the vegetable
  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