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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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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: prune · current · race · stick · tube · bound · fall · staff

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bound — obliged
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. staff — employees
  6. current — happening now
  7. tube — a container
  8. tube — the underground
  9. race — a contest
  10. current — of water
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. staff — employees
  13. bound — certain
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. current — electric
  16. fall — to drop
  17. prune — to trim
  18. fall — the season
  19. race — the arms race
  20. bound — tied together
  21. fall — to drop
  22. staff — a stick
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. race — humankind

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