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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. race — humankind
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. capital — money
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. race — the arms race
  9. prune — to trim
  10. race — a contest
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. capital — a city
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. fall — to drop
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. prune — to trim
  21. fall — to drop
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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