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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: race · stand · prune · ground · mate · lean · wave · cap

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. cap — a lid
  3. race — a contest
  4. lean — to bend
  5. ground — crushed
  6. prune — to trim
  7. lean — thin
  8. ground — a position
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. mate — to breed
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. race — the arms race
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. mate — a friend
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. mate — a partner
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. cap — of ice
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. stand — to bear
  21. prune — to trim
  22. race — humankind
  23. ground — the earth
  24. cap — a hat

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