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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: fan · trunk · chest · patient · mine · branch · stem · mouse

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. branch — a division
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. stem — to come from
  14. chest — a box
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — of your body

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