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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 116 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: trunk · tear · leaves · wake · land · bore · branch · game

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. land — ground
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. wake — a trail
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. branch — a division
  8. game — wild animals
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. tear — from crying
  12. land — a country
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. tear — to rip
  16. bore — to drill
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. land — to come down
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. bore — to tire
  23. game — a match
  24. tear — from crying

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