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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 116 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: last · bound · face · prune · rash · safe · spring · race

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bound — tied together
  3. race — a contest
  4. race — humankind
  5. face — to point toward
  6. bound — certain
  7. last — final
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. rash — hasty
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. bound — obliged
  12. spring — the season
  13. rash — a series
  14. race — the arms race
  15. face — to confront
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. spring — of water
  18. spring — a coil
  19. last — finally
  20. prune — to trim
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. last — to go on
  24. face — part of the head

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