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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 120 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: saw · prune · drill · race · season · calf · rush · bat

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. drill — a practice
  5. drill — the tool
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. bat — the animal
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. race — the arms race
  11. season — in sport
  12. drill — army training
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. race — a contest
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. season — of the year
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — to trim
  23. rush — hurry
  24. race — humankind

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