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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. branch — a division
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. current — happening now
  8. kick — in football
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. current — of water
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. bat — the animal
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. mark — a grade
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. track — a song
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. track — to keep track
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. mark — a trace
  23. current — electric
  24. track — a path

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