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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. track — a song
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. land — ground
  10. land — a country
  11. fork — in a road
  12. race — humankind
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bound — tied together
  15. race — a contest
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. race — the arms race
  18. land — to come down
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bound — obliged
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. track — to keep track
  23. tear — to rip
  24. track — a path

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