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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: rush · arm · trunk · scale · race · content · present · saw

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. content — happy
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. present — a gift
  8. saw — the tool
  9. scale — in music
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. present — there
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. race — a contest
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. race — the arms race
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. content — the amount
  20. rush — hurry
  21. present — the time now
  22. race — humankind
  23. scale — size or range
  24. scale — for weighing

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