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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: shower · trunk · pit · branch · deal · tube · wound · stem

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. branch — a division
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. wound — an injury
  9. tube — a container
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. shower — to wash
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. deal — to handle
  16. pit — a hole
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. tube — the underground
  20. stem — to come from
  21. wound — an injury
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. shower — rain

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