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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 116 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: rash · game · spring · track · calf · branch · trunk · key

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. spring — a coil
  3. key — the most important part
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. rash — hasty
  9. spring — the season
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. track — to keep track
  12. rash — a series
  13. game — a match
  14. branch — a division
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. track — a song
  17. track — a path
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. key — for a lock
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. game — wild animals
  24. spring — of water

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