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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: lie · rash · club · race · calf · bound · season · lean

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. season — in sport
  5. season — of the year
  6. lie — to recline
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bound — certain
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. bound — tied together
  12. lean — to bend
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. rash — a series
  16. club — for dancing
  17. rash — hasty
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. race — humankind
  20. club — a group
  21. race — the arms race
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. race — a contest
  24. club — for golf

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