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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: root · race · prune · game · bulb · date · squash · pit

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. race — the arms race
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. prune — to trim
  5. race — humankind
  6. squash — the sport
  7. root — the cause
  8. game — wild animals
  9. pit — in a race
  10. squash — to crush
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. root — of a word
  14. bulb — for light
  15. root — of a plant
  16. date — the fruit
  17. prune — to trim
  18. pit — a hole
  19. bulb — for light
  20. game — a match
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. bulb — of a plant

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