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

Word bank: race · bank · date · mouse · prune · pit · tear · snap

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. race — humankind
  3. prune — to trim
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. bank — of a river
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bank — for money
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. pit — a hole
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. bank — for money
  15. tear — to rip
  16. tear — from crying
  17. race — the arms race
  18. race — a contest
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. date — the fruit
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. pit — in a race
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. 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