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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: racket · bore · calf · fan · race · lean · capital · rush

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. race — the arms race
  6. rush — hurry
  7. capital — money
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. race — humankind
  11. race — a contest
  12. lean — thin
  13. capital — a city
  14. lean — to bend
  15. bore — to drill
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. bore — to tire
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. fan — a supporter

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