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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 124 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: sharp · march · suit · game · branch · fall · trunk · race

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. sharp — clever
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. suit — to fit
  5. march — the month
  6. race — the arms race
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. march — the month
  9. fall — the season
  10. fall — to drop
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. fall — to drop
  13. suit — clothes
  14. race — humankind
  15. march — music
  16. game — a match
  17. branch — a division
  18. suit — in cards
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. race — a contest
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. sharp — with an edge

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