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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 120 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: chair · tube · branch · chest · trunk · deal · rush · game

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. rush — hurry
  5. chest — a box
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. tube — a container
  8. game — wild animals
  9. game — a match
  10. chest — of your body
  11. deal — to handle
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. chair — a leader
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. branch — a division
  21. chest — of your body
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. tube — the underground

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