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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: jam · mine · trunk · net · branch · mark · swing · drill

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mark — a trace
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. mark — a grade
  8. net — for catching
  9. drill — a practice
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. swing — to play on
  15. net — after costs
  16. swing — in golf
  17. swing — music
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. drill — army training
  20. drill — the tool
  21. net — in sport
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. branch — a division
  24. trunk — of a tree

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