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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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. game — wild animals
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. mark — a trace
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. game — a match
  9. branch — a division
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bass — low music
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. bass — the fish
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. mark — a grade
  21. rest — a break
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. rest — what's left

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