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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: bound · prune · cell · deal · craft · race · pass · snap

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. race — a contest
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. bound — tied together
  5. race — the arms race
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bound — certain
  8. craft — boats
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. prune — to trim
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. cell — in biology
  16. deal — to handle
  17. cell — a phone
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. snap — to click
  20. pass — a permit
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. race — humankind
  23. craft — a skill
  24. pass — to succeed

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