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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
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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: spring · scale · race · plane · drill · bear · track · straw

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. race — a contest
  3. race — humankind
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bear — the animal
  6. scale — size or range
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. drill — a practice
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. race — the arms race
  11. track — a path
  12. spring — of water
  13. scale — in music
  14. spring — a coil
  15. track — to keep track
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. spring — the season
  19. track — a song
  20. drill — army training
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. drill — the tool
  24. plane — a tool

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