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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · bay · last · wound · chest · trunk · game · branch

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. wound — an injury
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chest — of your body
  8. branch — a division
  9. last — to go on
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. bear — the animal
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. last — finally
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. game — wild animals
  17. last — final
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. game — a match
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. chest — a box

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