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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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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: snap · roll · clip · rash · race · prune · object · foot

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. race — the arms race
  6. snap — to click
  7. clip — for paper
  8. prune — to trim
  9. roll — a list
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. foot — a measure
  12. roll — a cake
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. race — humankind
  15. object — to protest
  16. rash — hasty
  17. object — a thing
  18. clip — to cut
  19. race — a contest
  20. rash — a series
  21. clip — a video
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. object — an aim
  24. prune — to trim

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