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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: content · mine · trunk · prune · race · fall · club · pit

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  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. pit — in a race
  2. race — the arms race
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. fall — to drop
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. prune — to trim
  9. pit — a hole
  10. fall — to drop
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. club — for golf
  13. prune — to trim
  14. race — humankind
  15. mine — for digging
  16. content — the amount
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. club — a group
  19. club — for dancing
  20. fall — the season
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. content — happy
  23. mine — belonging to me
  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