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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 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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. track — a song
  3. last — to go on
  4. object — to protest
  5. object — an aim
  6. object — a thing
  7. fall — to drop
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. spring — of water
  11. branch — a division
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. track — a path
  14. spring — a coil
  15. craft — a skill
  16. fall — to drop
  17. track — to keep track
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. last — finally
  21. fall — the season
  22. spring — the season
  23. last — final
  24. craft — boats

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