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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. can — to be able to
  4. content — the amount
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. last — final
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. kid — child
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. band — a music group
  12. can — a tin
  13. last — finally
  14. branch — a division
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. last — to go on
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. kid — to tease
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. band — a ring
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. content — happy
  24. can — a tin

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