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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: race · firm · land · prune · cue · squash · track · trunk

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  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. cue — a signal
  2. race — humankind
  3. firm — decided
  4. squash — to crush
  5. firm — steady
  6. land — ground
  7. squash — the sport
  8. cue — for pool
  9. land — to come down
  10. prune — to trim
  11. cue — a hint
  12. track — a path
  13. track — to keep track
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. track — a song
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. prune — to trim
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. land — a country
  20. race — the arms race
  21. firm — a company
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. squash — the vegetable
  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