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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.

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: trunk · kid · rock · nail · chair · branch · bear · spring

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. spring — the season
  3. chair — a leader
  4. bear — the animal
  5. kid — child
  6. spring — of water
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. spring — a coil
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. rock — music
  18. bear — the animal
  19. rock — a stone
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. kid — to tease
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. branch — a division
  24. nail — on a finger

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