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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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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: present · mark · chest · branch · spell · trunk · calf · scale

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. chest — of your body
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. spell — magic
  7. mark — a grade
  8. mark — a trace
  9. branch — a division
  10. present — a gift
  11. scale — in music
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. chest — a box
  14. scale — size or range
  15. chest — of your body
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. present — the time now
  23. spell — letters
  24. spell — a short time

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