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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — to trim
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. tube — a container
  7. bore — to tire
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bore — to drill
  11. race — humankind
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. kid — to tease
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. fork — in a road
  19. kid — child
  20. race — a contest
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. race — the arms race
  24. tube — the underground

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