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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: mark · cabinet · branch · trunk · hand · nail · calf · land

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. branch — a division
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. land — ground
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. hand — help
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. hand — in cards
  10. mark — a trace
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. land — to come down
  18. mark — a grade
  19. land — a country
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. cabinet — ministers

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