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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. rest — what's left
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. bass — the fish
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. rest — a break
  7. ball — a dance
  8. branch — a division
  9. ball — a great time
  10. pit — in a race
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. pit — a hole
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. rest — what's left
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. last — final
  17. bass — low music
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. shower — to wash
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. last — to go on
  23. last — finally
  24. shower — rain

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