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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. chip — for betting
  3. clip — for paper
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. clip — to cut
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. date — the fruit
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. chip — to eat
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. chair — a leader
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. branch — a division
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. clip — a video
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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