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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: mine · trunk · bulb · bowl · season · coach · race · sharp

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. race — humankind
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. bulb — for light
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. season — of the year
  9. bulb — for light
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. season — in sport
  13. mine — for digging
  14. race — a contest
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. race — the arms race
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. coach — a trainer

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