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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: prune · race · branch · rush · tube · ground · kick · staff

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. staff — employees
  3. rush — hurry
  4. staff — a stick
  5. race — humankind
  6. race — the arms race
  7. branch — a division
  8. prune — to trim
  9. tube — a container
  10. kick — in football
  11. ground — a position
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. staff — employees
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. ground — the earth
  17. prune — to trim
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. ground — crushed
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. tube — the underground
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. race — a contest

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