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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. swing — in golf
  4. swing — music
  5. root — of a word
  6. bass — low music
  7. face — part of the head
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. craft — boats
  10. bass — the fish
  11. root — of a plant
  12. craft — a skill
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. branch — a division
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. root — the cause
  17. face — to point toward
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. pound — a weight
  23. face — to confront
  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