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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. race — a contest
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. prune — to trim
  5. race — humankind
  6. mate — to breed
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. fork — in a road
  9. last — to go on
  10. mate — a friend
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. last — final
  13. bound — tied together
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. last — finally
  18. bound — certain
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. bound — obliged
  21. race — the arms race
  22. mate — a partner
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. fork — a garden 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