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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 116 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 · mine · prune · ruler · lean · pop · deal · race

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. race — the arms race
  3. prune — to trim
  4. fall — to drop
  5. pop — music
  6. race — a contest
  7. fall — to drop
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. mine — for digging
  10. fall — the season
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. pop — to visit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. lean — to bend
  18. lean — thin
  19. pop — soda
  20. race — humankind
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. deal — to handle
  24. ruler — for measuring

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