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

Word bank: trunk · race · present · rest · mate · hide

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. present — there
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. race — humankind
  7. mate — to breed
  8. race — a contest
  9. present — a gift
  10. rest — what's left
  11. mate — a partner
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. rest — a break
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. race — the arms race
  16. rest — what's left
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. present — the time now

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