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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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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: trunk · pitch · branch · rest · deal · fall

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — a break
  12. fall — to drop
  13. branch — a division
  14. fall — to drop
  15. pitch — completely
  16. fall — the season
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. deal — to handle

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