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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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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 · chest · branch · staff · stock · lash · arm · current

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. staff — employees
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. current — of water
  11. staff — a stick
  12. current — happening now
  13. current — electric
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. stock — goods
  17. staff — employees
  18. chest — of your body
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. stock — shares
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. chest — of your body
  23. branch — a division
  24. chest — a box

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