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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: trunk · kid · chest · bore · branch · rush · toast · arm

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. bore — to drill
  3. toast — bread
  4. kid — to tease
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. rush — hurry
  7. chest — of your body
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. branch — a division
  15. bore — to tire
  16. kid — child
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. chest — a box
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. arm — part of the body

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