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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: swing · mouse · branch · wound · bear · dip · pop · trunk

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. pop — to visit
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. swing — in golf
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — the animal
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. swing — music
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. dip — to sink
  15. pop — music
  16. swing — to play on
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. branch — a division
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. wound — an injury
  23. pop — soda
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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