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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: nail · bear · branch · pound · trunk · net · game · lean

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. bear — the animal
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. net — in sport
  7. game — a match
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. branch — a division
  12. game — wild animals
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. lean — to bend
  17. net — after costs
  18. lean — thin
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. bear — the animal
  22. pound — a weight
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. net — for catching

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