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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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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: can · wake · race · tear · present · date · wound · trunk

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. can — a tin
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. race — humankind
  7. tear — from crying
  8. date — the fruit
  9. present — the time now
  10. tear — to rip
  11. wound — an injury
  12. can — a tin
  13. race — the arms race
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. present — there
  16. can — to be able to
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. wound — an injury
  21. tear — from crying
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. present — a gift
  24. wake — a trail

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