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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. current — of water
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. bank — of a river
  7. tube — the underground
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. branch — a division
  10. drill — the tool
  11. root — of a word
  12. root — of a plant
  13. root — the cause
  14. current — electric
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. drill — a practice
  17. current — happening now
  18. drill — army training
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — for light
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. tube — a container
  23. bank — for money
  24. bank — for money

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