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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. present — there
  3. drill — a practice
  4. race — the arms race
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. race — humankind
  7. present — the time now
  8. prune — to trim
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. race — a contest
  11. drill — army training
  12. prune — to trim
  13. band — a ring
  14. cell — in biology
  15. drill — the tool
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. cell — a phone
  18. wake — a trail
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. suit — in cards
  21. suit — to fit
  22. present — a gift
  23. band — a music group
  24. suit — clothes

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