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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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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 · coach · key · pop · wound · drill · pit · trunk

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. drill — a practice
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. pop — soda
  5. pit — in a race
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. race — a contest
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. drill — army training
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. race — the arms race
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. key — for a lock
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. pop — to visit
  18. key — in music
  19. pop — music
  20. drill — the tool
  21. wound — an injury
  22. race — humankind
  23. pit — a hole
  24. key — the most important part

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