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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: roll · prune · bat · race · pound · object · patient · bay

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. roll — a cake
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. prune — to trim
  10. race — a contest
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. object — a thing
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. race — the arms race
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. prune — to trim
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. pound — a weight
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. object — an aim
  22. roll — a list
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. object — to protest

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