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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: nail · staff · trunk · sharp · racket · branch · lean · board

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. staff — a stick
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. lean — thin
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. lean — to bend
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. branch — a division
  11. sharp — clever
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. board — a committee
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. staff — employees
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. staff — employees
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. board — to get on
  24. racket — a loud noise

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