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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: bear · race · bass · track · kick · bowl · spell · spring

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. bear — the animal
  3. spell — letters
  4. track — a path
  5. race — a contest
  6. track — to keep track
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. spring — a coil
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. spell — magic
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. track — a song
  14. spring — the season
  15. bass — low music
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. bass — the fish
  18. kick — in football
  19. race — humankind
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. spell — a short time
  22. race — the arms race
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. bear — the animal

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