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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.

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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: saw · rush · cue · bear · swing · race · trunk · perch

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. race — humankind
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. perch — the fish
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. swing — to play on
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. bear — the animal
  11. saw — the tool
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. cue — a signal
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. swing — in golf
  16. cue — for pool
  17. race — a contest
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. cue — a hint
  21. race — the arms race
  22. swing — music
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bear — the animal

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