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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. staff — employees
  4. pound — a weight
  5. staff — employees
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. file — a tool
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. branch — a division
  16. file — a line of people
  17. staff — a stick
  18. swing — in golf
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. file — a document
  21. swing — music
  22. mine — for digging
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. swing — to play on

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