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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: fall · scale · race · prune · mark · row · lie · snap

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. race — humankind
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. mark — a trace
  5. row — to paddle
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. row — a line
  8. scale — size or range
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. race — a contest
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. scale — in music
  14. snap — to click
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — the season
  17. mark — a grade
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. prune — to trim
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. fall — to drop
  23. lie — to recline
  24. race — the arms race

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