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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 120 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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. prune — to trim
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. prune — to trim
  16. row — to paddle
  17. branch — a division
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. row — a line
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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