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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: prune · scale · rash · straw · trunk · race · spell · bore

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. race — a contest
  3. race — the arms race
  4. spell — a short time
  5. bore — to drill
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. spell — letters
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. spell — magic
  11. scale — size or range
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. prune — to trim
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. rash — a series
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. bore — to tire
  22. race — humankind
  23. scale — in music
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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