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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 116 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: deal · trunk · present · tube · race · wake · pit · straw

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. wake — a trail
  3. present — the time now
  4. race — a contest
  5. pit — in a race
  6. tube — a container
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. race — humankind
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. present — a gift
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. race — the arms race
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. present — there
  17. tube — the underground
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. deal — to handle
  22. pit — a hole
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. trunk — of a tree

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