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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: prune · trunk · file · land · squash · shower · suit · race

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. race — the arms race
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. file — a tool
  5. land — ground
  6. squash — to crush
  7. file — a line of people
  8. shower — rain
  9. suit — to fit
  10. land — to come down
  11. squash — the sport
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. suit — in cards
  15. prune — to trim
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. suit — clothes
  18. shower — to wash
  19. race — humankind
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. race — a contest
  22. prune — to trim
  23. land — a country
  24. prune — the fruit

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