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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 120 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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. prune — to trim
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. fork — in a road
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. bulb — for light
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. rush — hurry
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. race — a contest
  15. race — the arms race
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bank — for money
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bank — of a river
  23. bulb — for light
  24. race — humankind

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