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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 116 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: march · trunk · sharp · rock · mouse · branch

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. march — music
  6. branch — a division
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. rock — music
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. march — the month
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. march — the month
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. rock — a stone
  18. sharp — with an edge

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