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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: branch · season · trunk · wake · pass · race · bowl · wind

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. branch — a division
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. season — of the year
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. season — in sport
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. wind — moving air
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. wind — moving air
  14. race — humankind
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. pass — a permit
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. race — a contest
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. wake — before a funeral

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