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

Word bank: wound · mouse · trunk · bank · rash · stand · branch · last

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. branch — a division
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. wound — an injury
  6. rash — hasty
  7. last — final
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. bank — for money
  11. wound — an injury
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. stand — to bear
  18. last — to go on
  19. bank — of a river
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. bank — for money
  23. rash — a series
  24. stand — on your feet

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