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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. rest — what's left
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. rest — what's left
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. rash — a series
  7. branch — a division
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. last — to go on
  10. bass — low music
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. rash — hasty
  13. last — finally
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. last — final
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. bass — the fish
  23. rest — a break
  24. arm — part of the body

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