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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: tube · race · ground · chip · rule · bore · pop · prune

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. tube — a container
  3. chip — to eat
  4. ground — crushed
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. race — the arms race
  7. ground — the earth
  8. race — a contest
  9. pop — music
  10. race — humankind
  11. chip — for betting
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. bore — to tire
  14. pop — to visit
  15. tube — the underground
  16. rule — government
  17. rule — a law
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. pop — soda
  21. bore — to drill
  22. ground — a position
  23. prune — to trim
  24. bore — gave birth

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