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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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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 · rock · wake · game · branch · bank · roll · stick

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. game — a match
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. roll — a list
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. rock — music
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. bank — for money
  14. wake — a trail
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. bank — for money
  17. game — wild animals
  18. rock — a stone
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. roll — a cake
  24. bank — of a river

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