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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 cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bound — certain
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. board — to get on
  6. wind — moving air
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. wind — moving air
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. race — a contest
  11. race — humankind
  12. board — a committee
  13. race — the arms race
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. prune — to trim
  16. field — a subject
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. field — farmland
  21. bound — tied together
  22. field — for sport
  23. bound — obliged
  24. board — a flat piece

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