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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: race · deal · trunk · root · chest · squash · stock · track

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  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. trunk — of a car
  2. squash — the sport
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. race — humankind
  5. race — the arms race
  6. stock — goods
  7. deal — to handle
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. chest — a box
  11. chest — of your body
  12. stock — shares
  13. track — a path
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. squash — to crush
  16. chest — of your body
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. root — the cause
  19. root — of a plant
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. track — a song
  22. track — to keep track
  23. root — of a word
  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