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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: pound · roll · rash · hide · rest · trunk · staff · race

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. pound — a weight
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. race — a contest
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. roll — a cake
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. staff — employees
  11. staff — employees
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. rash — a series
  14. race — humankind
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. staff — a stick
  17. rest — what's left
  18. race — the arms race
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. roll — a list
  21. rash — hasty
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. rest — a break
  24. rest — what's left

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