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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: race · wake · spring · prune · squash · ball · drill · bore

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. drill — the tool
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. drill — army training
  7. spring — of water
  8. race — a contest
  9. ball — a great time
  10. ball — a dance
  11. prune — to trim
  12. squash — the sport
  13. prune — to trim
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. wake — a trail
  16. drill — a practice
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bore — to drill
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. squash — to crush
  22. spring — the season
  23. race — the arms race
  24. spring — a coil

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