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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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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 · bank · rest · pass · calf · kid · race · ground

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. ground — a position
  3. bank — of a river
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. rest — a break
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. ground — crushed
  8. kid — to tease
  9. race — humankind
  10. spring — the season
  11. pass — a permit
  12. bank — for money
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. spring — a coil
  15. spring — of water
  16. bank — for money
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. rest — what's left
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. ground — the earth
  21. race — a contest
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. rest — what's left
  24. race — the arms race

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