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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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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: trunk · bank · staff · arm · foot · bark · perch · wind

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bank — of a river
  5. staff — a stick
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. foot — a measure
  10. perch — the fish
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bank — for money
  14. wind — moving air
  15. staff — employees
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. bank — for money
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. bark — to shout

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