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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: race · prune · bay · tear · craft · present

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. craft — boats
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. race — the arms race
  7. present — a gift
  8. present — the time now
  9. prune — to trim
  10. tear — to rip
  11. present — there
  12. tear — from crying
  13. craft — a skill
  14. race — humankind
  15. race — a contest
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. prune — to trim

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