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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. chest — a box
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. cap — of ice
  10. date — the fruit
  11. cap — a hat
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. lean — to bend
  15. bore — to drill
  16. bulb — for light
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bore — to tire
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. branch — a division
  24. cap — a lid

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