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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: straw · object · rock · snap · prune · plane · cell · race

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. cell — in biology
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. prune — to trim
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. race — the arms race
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. object — a thing
  14. prune — to trim
  15. snap — to click
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. race — humankind
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. cell — a phone
  20. race — a contest
  21. rock — music
  22. plane — a tool
  23. object — an aim
  24. rock — a stone

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