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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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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. roll — a list
  5. prune — to trim
  6. race — the arms race
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. race — a contest
  9. roll — a cake
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. ball — a dance
  14. kid — child
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. stem — to come from
  17. mark — a grade
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. kid — to tease
  20. race — humankind
  21. ball — a great time
  22. prune — to trim
  23. mark — a trace
  24. ball — a round shape

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