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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  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 bank
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. wake — a trail
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. drill — the tool
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. tear — to rip
  11. tear — from crying
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. drill — army training
  15. drill — a practice
  16. branch — a division
  17. chest — a box
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chair — a leader
  21. chest — of your body
  22. tear — from crying
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  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