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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: land · race · wave · can · toast · ground · bark · trunk

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. race — a contest
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. race — the arms race
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. ground — a position
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. bark — to shout
  12. land — to come down
  13. toast — bread
  14. can — a tin
  15. race — humankind
  16. ground — the earth
  17. can — to be able to
  18. can — a tin
  19. land — a country
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. ground — crushed

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