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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 120 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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. stock — goods
  3. race — humankind
  4. land — a country
  5. drill — a practice
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. dip — to sink
  9. race — the arms race
  10. drill — army training
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. drill — the tool
  14. land — to come down
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. land — ground
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. prune — to trim
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. race — a contest
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. stock — shares
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. prune — to trim

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