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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 · wound · wave · branch · mouse · bank · race · pitcher

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. bank — for money
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. branch — a division
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. race — the arms race
  10. bank — of a river
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. wound — an injury
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bank — for money
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. race — humankind
  21. race — a contest
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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