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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: tear · branch · arm · spell · trunk · chair · fan · drill

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. chair — a leader
  3. tear — from crying
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. tear — from crying
  6. spell — magic
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. branch — a division
  10. drill — a practice
  11. drill — army training
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. spell — a short time
  19. tear — to rip
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. drill — the tool
  22. spell — letters
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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