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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: field · arm · face · fan · dip · branch · trunk · track

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. track — a path
  5. face — to confront
  6. face — to point toward
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. field — a subject
  9. track — to keep track
  10. track — a song
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. face — part of the head
  18. branch — a division
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. dip — to sink
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. field — for sport
  24. field — farmland

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