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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: trunk · bowl · squash · calf · clip · bank · branch · can

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. clip — for paper
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. clip — a video
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. clip — to cut
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. can — a tin
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. branch — a division
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — to be able to
  19. bank — of a river
  20. bank — for money
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. squash — to crush
  23. bank — for money
  24. squash — the sport

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