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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: hand · sharp · object · calf · spring · swing · race · rush

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. swing — in golf
  3. spring — the season
  4. object — to protest
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. rush — hurry
  7. swing — to play on
  8. race — a contest
  9. sharp — clever
  10. swing — music
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. spring — of water
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. object — an aim
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. hand — help
  17. race — humankind
  18. race — the arms race
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. object — a thing
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. hand — in cards
  24. calf — of the leg

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