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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. present — the time now
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. branch — a division
  11. present — there
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. wake — a trail
  14. chip — for betting
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. present — a gift
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. chip — to eat
  20. stand — to bear
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. chip — in a computer

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