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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: bass · roll · trunk · squash · branch · chest · safe · lean

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. chest — a box
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. chest — of your body
  6. squash — the sport
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. bass — the fish
  10. chest — of your body
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. lean — to bend
  16. branch — a division
  17. squash — to crush
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. bass — low music
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. roll — a list
  22. lean — thin
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. roll — a cake

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