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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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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: face · fall · hand · foot · prune · race · safe · snap

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. face — to confront
  3. prune — to trim
  4. race — humankind
  5. hand — help
  6. race — a contest
  7. fall — to drop
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. race — the arms race
  10. snap — to click
  11. face — to point toward
  12. face — part of the head
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. prune — to trim
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. foot — a measure
  20. hand — in cards
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. fall — the season
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. foot — the bottom

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