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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. branch — a division
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. last — to go on
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. face — to point toward
  9. saw — the tool
  10. last — finally
  11. bear — the animal
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. face — part of the head
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. scale — in music
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. scale — size or range
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. face — to confront
  22. last — final
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bear — the animal

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