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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. lean — thin
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. pitch — completely
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. bark — to shout
  14. season — in sport
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. season — of the year
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. lean — to bend
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. branch — a division

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