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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: current · wound · race · prune · plane · bark · kick · mouse

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. wound — an injury
  3. race — humankind
  4. plane — a tool
  5. kick — in football
  6. current — happening now
  7. wound — an injury
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. current — electric
  15. race — the arms race
  16. prune — to trim
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. bark — to shout
  19. prune — to trim
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. current — of water
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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