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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: firm · prune · spring · race · squash · lie · row · date

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. race — a contest
  3. spring — of water
  4. squash — the sport
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. spring — the season
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. firm — decided
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. row — to paddle
  11. firm — a company
  12. race — the arms race
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. row — a line
  15. race — humankind
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. date — the fruit
  18. lie — to recline
  19. prune — to trim
  20. squash — to crush
  21. prune — to trim
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. firm — steady
  24. spring — a coil

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