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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 · pit · content · board · temple · fall · branch · roll

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. content — happy
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. content — the amount
  8. branch — a division
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. pit — in a race
  11. fall — the season
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. roll — a list
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. fall — to drop
  18. roll — a cake
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. fall — to drop
  22. pit — a hole
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. board — a committee

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