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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 120 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: row · trunk · bear · track · wake · nail · ruler · race

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. track — a song
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. wake — a trail
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. race — a contest
  12. row — to paddle
  13. race — the arms race
  14. row — a line
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bear — the animal
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. track — a path
  21. race — humankind
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. track — to keep track

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