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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 120 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: prune · arm · rash · mouse · pass · race · mark · kid

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. mark — a grade
  3. kid — child
  4. pass — a permit
  5. race — a contest
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. race — humankind
  8. race — the arms race
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — to trim
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. rash — hasty
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. rash — a series
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. kid — to tease
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mark — a trace
  24. pass — to succeed

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