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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: roll · temple · race · prune · chair · mouse · tube · deal

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. prune — to trim
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. race — humankind
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. tube — the underground
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. prune — to trim
  10. roll — a cake
  11. chair — a leader
  12. deal — to handle
  13. race — the arms race
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. race — a contest
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. tube — a container
  21. roll — a list
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. deal — an agreement

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