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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 · plane · press · club · sharp · mark · prune

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  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. sharp — exactly
  2. race — a contest
  3. race — humankind
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. sharp — clever
  7. club — for golf
  8. press — a publisher
  9. club — a group
  10. mark — a grade
  11. tube — the underground
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. plane — a tool
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. press — to push
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. club — for dancing
  19. press — newspapers
  20. mark — a trace
  21. tube — a container
  22. prune — to trim
  23. race — the arms race
  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