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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: trunk · wound · cap · hide · race · craft · charge · branch

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. race — a contest
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. race — humankind
  6. charge — in control
  7. craft — a skill
  8. race — the arms race
  9. branch — a division
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. cap — of ice
  12. craft — boats
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. cap — a lid
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. charge — a price
  24. charge — electricity

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