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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: season · cell · present · club · branch · bark · calf · trunk

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. cell — a phone
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. present — the time now
  7. bark — to shout
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. present — a gift
  10. branch — a division
  11. club — for golf
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. club — for dancing
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. cell — in biology
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. season — in sport
  22. club — a group
  23. present — there
  24. season — of the year

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