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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: mate · race · wound · foot · bore · dip · spring · safe

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. mate — a friend
  3. spring — the season
  4. mate — to breed
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. spring — of water
  7. race — a contest
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. race — the arms race
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. bore — to drill
  12. race — humankind
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. mate — a partner
  16. bore — to tire
  17. wound — an injury
  18. spring — a coil
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. wound — an injury
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. dip — to sink

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