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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: trunk · mine · can · race · dip · ruler · mark · club

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. can — to be able to
  3. mine — for digging
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. race — the arms race
  6. dip — to sink
  7. mark — a trace
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. club — a group
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. can — a tin
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. club — for dancing
  17. race — humankind
  18. mark — a grade
  19. can — a tin
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. race — a contest
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. trunk — of a car

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