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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: stick · race · pound · tear · mug · kid · rash · trunk

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. tear — to rip
  3. tear — from crying
  4. rash — a series
  5. kid — child
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. pound — a weight
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. mug — a face
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. kid — to tease
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. race — a contest
  15. rash — hasty
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. race — humankind
  19. mug — a cup
  20. mug — to rob
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. tear — from crying
  24. race — the arms race

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