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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wound · race · scale · rule · ball · bulb · prune · date

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  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. ball — a round shape
  2. race — a contest
  3. bulb — for light
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. wound — an injury
  7. ball — a dance
  8. prune — to trim
  9. scale — size or range
  10. rule — a law
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. race — the arms race
  14. rule — government
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. ball — a great time
  17. race — humankind
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. date — the fruit
  21. wound — an injury
  22. scale — in music
  23. rule — to rule out
  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