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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: drill · ground · sharp · band · jam · coach · race · branch

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. ground — a position
  4. sharp — clever
  5. drill — army training
  6. race — the arms race
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. ground — the earth
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. branch — a division
  11. band — a ring
  12. drill — the tool
  13. band — a music group
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. race — a contest
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. drill — a practice
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. ground — crushed
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. sharp — exactly

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