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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: key · trunk · bark · branch · lie · roll · kid · row

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. key — in music
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. key — for a lock
  5. row — a line
  6. kid — to tease
  7. roll — a list
  8. row — to paddle
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. bark — to shout
  14. lie — to recline
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. key — the most important part
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. kid — child
  21. branch — a division
  22. roll — a cake
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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