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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: fall · trunk · branch · temple · hand · mate · ball · spell

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. ball — a great time
  6. spell — a short time
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. branch — a division
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. hand — help
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. mate — a partner
  14. mate — a friend
  15. spell — letters
  16. mate — to breed
  17. ball — a dance
  18. hand — in cards
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — the season
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. spell — magic

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