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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. ball — a dance
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. scale — size or range
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. deal — to handle
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. stem — to come from
  13. present — there
  14. present — a gift
  15. branch — a division
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. scale — in music
  22. ball — a great time
  23. present — the time now
  24. deal — a big deal

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