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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: prune · bound · roll · race · stock · capital · dip · wave

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. bound — obliged
  3. stock — goods
  4. roll — a list
  5. capital — money
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. race — humankind
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. prune — to trim
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. roll — a cake
  15. capital — a city
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. bound — certain
  18. race — a contest
  19. dip — to sink
  20. prune — to trim
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. stock — shares
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. bound — tied together

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