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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: band · pitcher · prune · wound · last · tube · race · mate

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. race — humankind
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. tube — a container
  8. race — the arms race
  9. tube — the underground
  10. last — final
  11. wound — an injury
  12. prune — to trim
  13. mate — a partner
  14. band — a ring
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. band — a music group
  18. wound — an injury
  19. mate — a friend
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. race — a contest
  22. mate — to breed
  23. last — to go on
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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