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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: rush · fine · cold · trunk · game · branch · kid · leaves

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. game — wild animals
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. kid — child
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. game — a match
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. fine — high quality
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. fine — all right
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. cold — not warm
  19. cold — an illness
  20. branch — a division
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. kid — to tease
  24. rush — hurry

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