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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 120 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: trunk · club · mate · spring · season · dip · track · race

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. mate — a partner
  3. spring — the season
  4. race — a contest
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. season — in sport
  8. track — to keep track
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. club — for dancing
  11. mate — a friend
  12. race — the arms race
  13. club — for golf
  14. dip — to sink
  15. spring — a coil
  16. race — humankind
  17. club — a group
  18. mate — to breed
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. track — a song
  21. spring — of water
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. track — a path
  24. season — of the year

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