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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 · hide · rash · pound · capital · mine · bay · race

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. prune — to trim
  3. rash — hasty
  4. pound — a weight
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. mine — for digging
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. capital — a city
  13. capital — money
  14. rash — a series
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. race — a contest
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. race — humankind

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