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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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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: kid · deal · plane · race · current · row · squash · trunk

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. kid — child
  3. row — to paddle
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. deal — to handle
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. race — the arms race
  11. row — a line
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. race — a contest
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. kid — to tease
  17. race — humankind
  18. current — of water
  19. current — happening now
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. squash — the sport
  22. current — electric
  23. plane — a tool
  24. squash — the vegetable

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