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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: bulb · hide · prune · arm · pitch · stem · pop · race

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bulb — for light
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. bulb — for light
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. pop — music
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. prune — to trim
  14. race — a contest
  15. pitch — completely
  16. pop — to visit
  17. race — the arms race
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. stem — to come from
  21. pop — soda
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. arm — part of the body

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