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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. kid — child
  4. clip — to cut
  5. bass — low music
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. prune — to trim
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. kid — to tease
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. prune — to trim
  17. clip — for paper
  18. branch — a division
  19. clip — a video
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. bass — the fish

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