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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 · mug · wound · snap · dip · bat · branch · club

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. wound — an injury
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. club — for dancing
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. club — a group
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. mug — a cup
  10. wound — an injury
  11. dip — to sink
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. club — for golf
  15. mug — to rob
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. snap — to click
  19. branch — a division
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. mug — a face
  22. bat — the animal
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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