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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
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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 · rash · sharp · cell · foot · wind · spell · branch

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. wind — moving air
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. branch — a division
  8. rash — a series
  9. spell — magic
  10. cell — in biology
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. sharp — clever
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. cell — a phone
  17. foot — a measure
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. spell — letters
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. rash — hasty
  22. spell — a short time
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — to turn a key

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