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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: race · trunk · jam · present · foot · stand · squash · rest

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. present — a gift
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. rest — a break
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. rest — what's left
  7. squash — the sport
  8. race — the arms race
  9. stand — to bear
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. foot — a measure
  15. rest — what's left
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. race — humankind
  18. race — a contest
  19. present — there
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. squash — to crush
  22. present — the time now
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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