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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: pop · race · wound · hide · craft · patient · rash · prune

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. wound — an injury
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. craft — a skill
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. pop — music
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. race — a contest
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. wound — an injury
  12. pop — to visit
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. pop — soda
  15. rash — a series
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. prune — to trim
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. race — the arms race
  20. prune — to trim
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. craft — boats
  24. race — humankind

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