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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 116 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: drill · race · tube · perch · prune · last · rock · hide

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. last — to go on
  3. prune — to trim
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. prune — to trim
  7. drill — army training
  8. tube — the underground
  9. drill — the tool
  10. race — the arms race
  11. perch — the fish
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. rock — a stone
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. race — humankind
  17. tube — a container
  18. drill — a practice
  19. last — finally
  20. race — a contest
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. last — final
  24. perch — for a bird

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