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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: race · branch · mine · stick · snap · vault · bulb · trunk

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. snap — to click
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. bulb — for light
  6. race — humankind
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. vault — a safe
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. branch — a division
  17. race — the arms race
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. bulb — for light
  20. mine — for digging
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. race — a contest
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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