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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 124 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 cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. race — the arms race
  4. can — a tin
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. prune — to trim
  8. can — to be able to
  9. can — a tin
  10. bound — tied together
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. wind — moving air
  13. race — humankind
  14. wind — moving air
  15. pit — a hole
  16. pit — in a race
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rush — hurry
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. bound — certain
  23. bound — obliged
  24. race — a contest

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