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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: spring · rush · race · wake · content · straw · object · leaves

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. object — an aim
  3. spring — the season
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. object — a thing
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. race — humankind
  9. wake — a trail
  10. object — to protest
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. spring — of water
  13. race — the arms race
  14. race — a contest
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. content — happy
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. rush — hurry
  23. content — the amount
  24. wake — before a funeral

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