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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 120 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: straw · pit · prune · ruler · land · game · chip · trunk

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. land — to come down
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. game — a match
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. pit — in a race
  11. prune — to trim
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. land — a country
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. prune — to trim
  19. game — wild animals
  20. land — ground
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. chip — for betting
  23. chip — to eat
  24. pit — a hole

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