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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: bass · date · race · pound · file · rush · squash · trunk

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. race — humankind
  3. rush — hurry
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. race — the arms race
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. bass — low music
  8. race — a contest
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. file — a line of people
  12. file — a tool
  13. squash — the sport
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. pound — a weight
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. date — the fruit
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. file — a document
  21. squash — to crush
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. trunk — of a car

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