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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: field · shower · bay · prune · bear · rush · last · race

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. field — farmland
  4. bear — the animal
  5. field — for sport
  6. shower — to wash
  7. prune — to trim
  8. last — to go on
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. prune — to trim
  11. last — finally
  12. field — a subject
  13. race — humankind
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. rush — hurry
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. race — a contest
  21. bear — the animal
  22. last — final
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. shower — rain

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