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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: pop · stick · object · tube · race · date · trunk · drill

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. drill — army training
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. race — humankind
  6. date — the fruit
  7. tube — the underground
  8. object — an aim
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. drill — a practice
  12. pop — music
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. pop — to visit
  17. tube — a container
  18. pop — soda
  19. object — to protest
  20. drill — the tool
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. object — a thing
  23. race — a contest
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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