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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 120 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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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: sharp · land · track · cue · drill · trunk · chair · branch

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. land — to come down
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. land — a country
  7. track — to keep track
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. sharp — clever
  11. drill — army training
  12. land — ground
  13. track — a path
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. cue — a signal
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. drill — the tool
  19. chair — a leader
  20. cue — a hint
  21. track — a song
  22. drill — a practice
  23. branch — a division
  24. chair — a professorship

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