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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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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: foot · race · rest · spring · trunk · bulb · row · club

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. race — humankind
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. club — for golf
  5. rest — what's left
  6. foot — a measure
  7. club — a group
  8. spring — a coil
  9. row — a line
  10. race — a contest
  11. spring — of water
  12. bulb — for light
  13. rest — what's left
  14. bulb — for light
  15. row — to paddle
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. rest — a break
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. club — for dancing
  22. race — the arms race
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. bulb — of a plant

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