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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 120 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
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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: race · pop · rush · bay · fork · leaves · prune · bound

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. prune — to trim
  4. race — humankind
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. rush — hurry
  9. pop — music
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. race — the arms race
  12. pop — soda
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. fork — in a road
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. race — a contest
  18. bound — certain
  19. bound — obliged
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. pop — to visit
  24. bound — tied together

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