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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: ball · spring · tear · race · bore · foot · rash · perch

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. race — humankind
  4. spring — of water
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. spring — the season
  7. spring — a coil
  8. tear — from crying
  9. ball — a dance
  10. ball — a great time
  11. bore — to tire
  12. perch — the fish
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. rash — hasty
  17. tear — from crying
  18. foot — a measure
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. tear — to rip
  22. bore — to drill
  23. race — a contest
  24. rash — a series

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