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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: bound · chest · chip · bulb · branch · swing · squash · trunk

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. chest — a box
  4. chip — to eat
  5. bound — certain
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. bound — tied together
  12. chest — of your body
  13. squash — the sport
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bulb — for light
  16. chest — of your body
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. squash — to crush
  19. swing — music
  20. bulb — for light
  21. swing — in golf
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. swing — to play on
  24. chip — for betting

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