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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: cabinet · trunk · chair · tear · ruler · branch

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. chair — a leader
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. tear — from crying
  10. branch — a division
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. tear — to rip
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. tear — from crying
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. ruler — for measuring

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