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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  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. race — a contest
  2. drill — army training
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. wake — a trail
  5. race — humankind
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. race — the arms race
  8. prune — to trim
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. content — happy
  14. branch — a division
  15. drill — the tool
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. content — the amount
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. drill — a practice
  23. deal — to handle
  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