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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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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: dip · straw · branch · mate · patient · nail · bear · trunk

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. mate — a friend
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. bear — the animal
  8. mate — a partner
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. mate — to breed
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. bear — the animal
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. dip — to sink
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. branch — a division

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