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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 116 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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. net — in sport
  5. object — to protest
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. net — after costs
  11. pound — a weight
  12. net — for catching
  13. object — an aim
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. pit — a hole
  16. branch — a division
  17. file — a document
  18. kick — in football
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. file — a line of people
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. pit — in a race
  24. file — a tool

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