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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: prune · chest · race · mate · fork · rock · field · trunk

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. field — for sport
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. fork — in a road
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. chest — of your body
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. mate — a partner
  10. field — farmland
  11. race — humankind
  12. chest — a box
  13. mate — a friend
  14. mate — to breed
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. prune — to trim
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. race — a contest
  20. rock — a stone
  21. chest — of your body
  22. rock — music
  23. field — a subject
  24. fork — a garden tool

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