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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: dip · game · branch · perch · pitch · trunk · rule · snap

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. snap — to click
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. branch — a division
  8. pitch — completely
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. rule — government
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. dip — to sink
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. rule — a law
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. perch — the fish
  21. game — wild animals
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. game — a match

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