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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 · dip · bank · drill · staff · trunk · band · stem

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — a stick
  3. drill — a practice
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. drill — army training
  7. race — humankind
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. dip — to sink
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. band — a ring
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. bank — for money
  16. bank — of a river
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. drill — the tool
  19. bank — for money
  20. band — a music group
  21. race — the arms race
  22. stem — to come from
  23. staff — employees
  24. race — a contest

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