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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: bear · branch · club · pound · game · pass · trunk · stand

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. game — a match
  3. branch — a division
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. club — for golf
  7. club — a group
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. pound — a weight
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. club — for dancing
  12. game — wild animals
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. pass — a permit
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. bear — the animal
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. stand — to bear
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. bear — the animal

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