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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 · trunk · rock · squash · season · kick · pit · branch

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. squash — the sport
  4. branch — a division
  5. season — of the year
  6. kick — in football
  7. race — the arms race
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. pit — in a race
  10. pit — a hole
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. race — a contest
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. squash — to crush
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. rock — a stone
  19. season — in sport
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. rock — music
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. kick — with a leg

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