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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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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: lean · coach · land · trunk · race · last · cabinet · cold

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. cold — an illness
  3. lean — to bend
  4. last — finally
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. land — a country
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. cold — not warm
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. land — to come down
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. last — to go on
  17. last — final
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. lean — thin
  20. race — a contest
  21. race — the arms race
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. land — ground
  24. race — humankind

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