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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  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. tube — a container
  2. race — a contest
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. squash — the sport
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. lean — to bend
  7. race — the arms race
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bear — the animal
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. tube — the underground
  13. race — humankind
  14. rush — hurry
  15. squash — to crush
  16. lean — thin
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bound — tied together
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. bound — certain
  23. prune — to trim
  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