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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. branch — a division
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. snap — to click
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. tube — a container
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. shower — to wash
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. rock — music
  15. tube — the underground
  16. rock — a stone
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. shower — rain
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. tube — in a tire

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