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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: lie · wound · present · branch · trunk · mate · degree · rush

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. present — a gift
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. lie — to recline
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. degree — temperature
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. wound — an injury
  11. degree — from a university
  12. mate — a friend
  13. present — the time now
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. degree — an amount
  16. mate — a partner
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. branch — a division
  21. rush — hurry
  22. mate — to breed
  23. present — there
  24. lie — an untruth

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