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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: content · branch · toast · trunk · march · wind · patient · tear

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. tear — to rip
  3. tear — from crying
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. march — the month
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. wind — moving air
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. content — happy
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. content — the amount
  16. march — music
  17. toast — bread
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. wind — moving air
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. branch — a division
  22. tear — from crying
  23. march — the month
  24. wind — to turn a key

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