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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: trunk · bear · bark · wound · foot · branch · temple · lash

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. bear — the animal
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. wound — an injury
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. bear — the animal
  10. foot — a measure
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. branch — a division
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. bark — to shout
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bark — of a tree

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