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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. race — the arms race
  4. race — humankind
  5. bound — tied together
  6. race — a contest
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. bound — obliged
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. snap — to click
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. plane — a tool
  15. field — farmland
  16. bound — certain
  17. field — a subject
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. dip — to sink
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. prune — to trim
  23. field — for sport
  24. dip — a sauce

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