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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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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: field · rest · bound · kick · snap · prune · race · perch

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. field — a subject
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. race — a contest
  5. prune — to trim
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. rest — a break
  9. bound — tied together
  10. kick — in football
  11. race — the arms race
  12. field — farmland
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. perch — the fish
  15. bound — certain
  16. prune — to trim
  17. snap — to click
  18. race — humankind
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. field — for sport
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. rest — what's left
  23. bound — obliged
  24. kick — with a leg

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