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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. branch — a division
  5. bank — for money
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. bank — for money
  9. last — finally
  10. kid — to tease
  11. spring — of water
  12. last — final
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. spring — a coil
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. spring — the season
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. bank — of a river
  22. kid — child
  23. last — to go on
  24. ruler — a monarch

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