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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. saw — the tool
  6. branch — a division
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. bound — tied together
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bound — certain
  12. wind — moving air
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. shower — to wash
  17. rock — music
  18. ball — a dance
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. shower — rain
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. bound — obliged
  24. ball — a great time

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