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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: coach · race · drill · mark · mine · trunk · branch · cue

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  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. race — humankind
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. cue — for pool
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. drill — the tool
  6. mark — a trace
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. branch — a division
  9. cue — a signal
  10. cue — a hint
  11. drill — army training
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. race — a contest
  16. race — the arms race
  17. drill — a practice
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. mine — for digging
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. mark — a grade
  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