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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: race · cabinet · branch · stick · hand · trunk · march · vault

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. march — the month
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. hand — in cards
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. hand — help
  7. march — the month
  8. vault — a safe
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. branch — a division
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. race — the arms race
  18. race — a contest
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. march — music
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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