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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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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: pop · mine · ground · temple · prune · scale · board · race

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. race — a contest
  3. scale — in music
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. race — humankind
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. prune — to trim
  10. board — a committee
  11. scale — size or range
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. ground — the earth
  14. mine — for digging
  15. race — the arms race
  16. pop — to visit
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. ground — crushed
  19. board — to get on
  20. pop — soda
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. prune — to trim
  23. pop — music
  24. ground — a position

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