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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: season · bore · race · calf · chest · track · plane · bark

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. chest — of your body
  3. bark — to shout
  4. race — a contest
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. plane — a tool
  7. race — humankind
  8. season — in sport
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. race — the arms race
  13. bore — to drill
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. chest — a box
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. season — of the year
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. track — a path
  21. track — a song
  22. chest — of your body
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. bore — to tire

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