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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. saw — the tool
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. race — the arms race
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. last — final
  9. wind — moving air
  10. prune — to trim
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. saw — the tool
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. race — a contest
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. race — humankind
  20. wind — moving air
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. last — to go on
  23. prune — to trim
  24. last — finally

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