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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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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: season · trunk · rest · roll · stick · race · prune · kid

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  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. rest — what's left
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. prune — to trim
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. season — in sport
  8. race — humankind
  9. race — the arms race
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. season — of the year
  12. kid — child
  13. kid — to tease
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rest — a break
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. roll — a cake
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. roll — a list
  23. race — a contest
  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