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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. bass — low music
  5. rest — what's left
  6. pass — a permit
  7. rest — a break
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bat — the animal
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. rest — what's left
  14. club — for dancing
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. club — a group
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. club — for golf
  20. bass — the fish
  21. branch — a division
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. branch — of a bank

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