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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 116 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 · trunk · straw · rush · fan · mine · court · face

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. court — for sport
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. rush — hurry
  6. face — to point toward
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. court — of a king
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. court — of law
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. mine — for digging
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. branch — a division
  21. face — to confront
  22. face — part of the head
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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