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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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Word bank
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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 · last · chair · bulb · trunk · drill · calf · board

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. race — a contest
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. last — final
  5. drill — army training
  6. race — the arms race
  7. bulb — for light
  8. board — to get on
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. board — a committee
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. last — finally
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. last — to go on
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. bulb — for light
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. drill — a practice
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. drill — the tool
  23. race — humankind
  24. chair — a leader

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