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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. court — for sport
  3. cell — in biology
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. prune — to trim
  6. object — to protest
  7. race — the arms race
  8. race — a contest
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. object — an aim
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. tube — a container
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. object — a thing
  16. bore — to drill
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bore — to tire
  19. cell — a phone
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. court — of law
  22. court — of a king
  23. tube — the underground
  24. tube — in a tire

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