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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: trunk · race · track · pound · craft · rock · arm · fork

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. craft — boats
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. track — to keep track
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. track — a song
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. race — a contest
  11. fork — in a road
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. rock — music
  14. pound — a weight
  15. track — a path
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. race — the arms race
  20. craft — a skill
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. race — humankind
  23. rock — a stone
  24. trunk — of a tree

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