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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: fork · bore · rest · stand · date · prune · chair · race

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. race — a contest
  3. race — humankind
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. rest — what's left
  6. fork — in a road
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. date — the fruit
  10. bore — to tire
  11. stand — to bear
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. race — the arms race
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. rest — a break
  18. prune — to trim
  19. rest — what's left
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. prune — to trim
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. bore — to drill
  24. stand — for spectators

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