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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: clip · present · lie · ruler · land · branch · trunk · straw

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. land — to come down
  7. present — a gift
  8. present — the time now
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. clip — a video
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. clip — to cut
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. present — there
  18. branch — a division
  19. lie — to recline
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. clip — for paper
  23. land — a country
  24. land — ground

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