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

Word bank: prune · current · race · snap · face · bear · cap · stand

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. race — the arms race
  3. cap — of ice
  4. snap — to click
  5. race — a contest
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. face — to point toward
  9. cap — a lid
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. face — part of the head
  12. current — electric
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bear — the animal
  15. race — humankind
  16. current — of water
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. bear — the animal
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. current — happening now
  22. face — to confront
  23. stand — to bear
  24. stand — for spectators

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