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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: coach · net · trunk · race · bark · bore · stick · branch

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. race — a contest
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. race — humankind
  5. net — after costs
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. bark — to shout
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. bore — to drill
  12. net — in sport
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. net — for catching
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. bore — to tire
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. branch — a division
  20. race — the arms race
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. trunk — of a tree

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