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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: date · race · bank · rest · prune · track · calf · rash

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. rash — hasty
  3. prune — to trim
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. prune — to trim
  6. track — a path
  7. rest — a break
  8. track — a song
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. race — a contest
  11. rash — a series
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. bank — for money
  14. race — humankind
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. rest — what's left
  17. bank — for money
  18. track — to keep track
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. race — the arms race
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. bank — of a river
  23. date — the fruit
  24. rest — what's left

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