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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: race · cold · root · pound · kick · hide · prune · can

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. can — to be able to
  4. can — a tin
  5. race — a contest
  6. cold — an illness
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. cold — not warm
  10. root — of a word
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. pound — a weight
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. can — a tin
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. race — the arms race
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. prune — to trim
  20. race — humankind
  21. root — the cause
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. prune — to trim
  24. root — of a plant

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