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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  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. stick — a piece of wood
  2. prune — to trim
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. snap — to click
  7. race — a contest
  8. rash — hasty
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. march — the month
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bound — certain
  15. race — the arms race
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. march — music
  18. bulb — for light
  19. march — the month
  20. prune — to trim
  21. race — humankind
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bulb — for light
  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