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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 116 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: branch · coach · race · last · straw · rock · bank · trunk

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. bank — for money
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. race — a contest
  10. rock — music
  11. race — humankind
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. branch — a division
  15. last — to go on
  16. bank — of a river
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. last — final
  19. bank — for money
  20. last — finally
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. rock — a stone
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. race — the arms race

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