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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. mug — to rob
  3. bank — for money
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. mug — a face
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. chair — a leader
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. rash — hasty
  13. craft — a skill
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. rash — a series
  16. bank — of a river
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. mug — a cup
  19. kick — in football
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. branch — a division
  22. bank — for money
  23. craft — boats
  24. trunk — of a tree

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