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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: last · prune · bass · stick · race · lie · toast · date

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. race — the arms race
  4. bass — low music
  5. toast — bread
  6. date — the fruit
  7. lie — to recline
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. prune — to trim
  11. last — to go on
  12. last — final
  13. race — humankind
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. race — a contest
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. last — finally
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bass — the fish
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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