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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: trunk · cell · pitcher · race · drill · leaves · club · bound

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. club — a group
  3. race — the arms race
  4. cell — in biology
  5. bound — certain
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. race — humankind
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. bound — tied together
  13. drill — the tool
  14. bound — obliged
  15. race — a contest
  16. cell — a phone
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. club — for dancing
  19. drill — a practice
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. club — for golf
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. drill — army training

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