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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: cap · lie · roll · fan · pop · trunk · branch · bark

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. cap — a lid
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. pop — music
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. cap — a hat
  13. pop — soda
  14. lie — to recline
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. pop — to visit
  18. branch — a division
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. roll — a cake
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. bark — to shout
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. roll — a list

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