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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: branch · stem · kid · nail · fine · wound · rash · trunk

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. rash — a series
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. fine — all right
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. rash — hasty
  14. wound — an injury
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. fine — high quality
  17. kid — child
  18. branch — a division
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. stem — to come from
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. branch — of a bank

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