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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 116 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: straw · present · pop · race · club · trunk · wake · ball

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. club — for golf
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. pop — music
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. ball — a great time
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. club — a group
  9. wake — a trail
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. race — humankind
  12. present — there
  13. present — the time now
  14. pop — soda
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. pop — to visit
  18. club — for dancing
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. race — the arms race
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. ball — a dance
  24. present — a gift

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