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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: saw · trunk · race · bark · wake · kick · capital · rush

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. wake — a trail
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. bark — to shout
  9. rush — hurry
  10. capital — a city
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. kick — in football
  14. capital — money
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. race — humankind
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. race — the arms race
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. saw — the tool
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. race — a contest

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