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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. bulb — for light
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. squash — the sport
  6. bank — for money
  7. spell — letters
  8. spell — a short time
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. race — the arms race
  12. prune — to trim
  13. spell — magic
  14. prune — to trim
  15. squash — to crush
  16. lean — thin
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. lean — to bend
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bank — of a river
  22. race — humankind
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bank — for money

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