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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 120 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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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: prune · last · rush · stem · calf · race · sharp · fan

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. prune — to trim
  3. last — final
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. last — finally
  7. stem — to come from
  8. race — the arms race
  9. rush — hurry
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. sharp — clever
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. race — a contest
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. prune — to trim
  19. last — to go on
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. race — humankind
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. calf — a young animal

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