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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: arm · race · can · ground · game · prune · mug · rock

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. ground — a position
  3. game — a match
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. can — a tin
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. rock — a stone
  8. ground — crushed
  9. race — the arms race
  10. race — humankind
  11. prune — to trim
  12. game — wild animals
  13. can — to be able to
  14. mug — a face
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. ground — the earth
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. race — a contest
  21. rock — music
  22. mug — to rob
  23. mug — a cup
  24. prune — to trim

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