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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 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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. stand — to bear
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. spring — the season
  9. race — the arms race
  10. branch — a division
  11. race — humankind
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. dip — to sink
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. spring — a coil
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. track — a song
  19. track — to keep track
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. spring — of water
  23. track — a path
  24. cabinet — ministers

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