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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: temple · club · cold · calf · trunk · branch · dip · bulb

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. club — for golf
  8. cold — not warm
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. cold — an illness
  12. club — for dancing
  13. bulb — for light
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. club — a group
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. bulb — for light
  21. dip — to sink
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. trunk — of a tree

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