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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: bay · season · present · pop · row · spring · hand · race

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. spring — the season
  3. race — the arms race
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. present — a gift
  6. hand — in cards
  7. race — a contest
  8. spring — a coil
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. race — humankind
  11. present — the time now
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. hand — help
  14. pop — soda
  15. row — to paddle
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. pop — music
  18. spring — of water
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. season — in sport
  22. present — there
  23. season — of the year
  24. pop — to visit

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