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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 · fall · trunk · saw · row · squash · track · straw

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. track — a path
  3. race — the arms race
  4. row — to paddle
  5. saw — the tool
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. fall — to drop
  8. race — a contest
  9. race — humankind
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. fall — to drop
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. saw — the tool
  17. fall — the season
  18. squash — the sport
  19. track — to keep track
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. squash — to crush
  22. track — a song
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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