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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: can · hand · fork · race · kid · spring · bore · game

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. race — the arms race
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. spring — of water
  7. hand — in cards
  8. fork — in a road
  9. kid — to tease
  10. can — a tin
  11. kid — child
  12. can — to be able to
  13. spring — the season
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. game — wild animals
  16. bore — to drill
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. race — humankind
  20. game — a match
  21. hand — help
  22. bore — to tire
  23. race — a contest
  24. can — a tin

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