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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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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: race · file · bass · prune · face · fan · patient · bound

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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. patient — calm and waiting
  4. race — a contest
  5. face — to point toward
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bass — low music
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bound — certain
  15. file — a tool
  16. bound — tied together
  17. file — a document
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. face — to confront
  20. bass — the fish
  21. file — a line of people
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. race — the arms race
  24. face — part of the head

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