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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. rule — a law
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. branch — a division
  6. charge — a price
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. root — of a word
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. root — of a plant
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. root — the cause
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. rule — government
  16. kick — in football
  17. row — a line
  18. charge — in control
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. charge — electricity
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. row — to paddle
  24. row — a quarrel

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