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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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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: bank · deal · branch · foot · cap · trunk · ground · bat

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. deal — to handle
  3. cap — a lid
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. foot — a measure
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. ground — a position
  8. bank — of a river
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. branch — a division
  12. bank — for money
  13. ground — crushed
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. ground — the earth
  19. cap — a hat
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. cap — of ice
  24. foot — the bottom

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