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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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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 · bank · rash · lean · trunk · rule · fine · branch

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. fine — high quality
  3. branch — a division
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. season — of the year
  7. lean — to bend
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. lean — thin
  10. rule — a law
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. rash — a series
  14. rule — government
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. fine — all right
  17. bank — for money
  18. season — in sport
  19. bank — for money
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rash — hasty
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. bank — of a river
  24. lean — to rest against

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