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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: bark · trunk · cabinet · band · perch · branch · bass · row

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. row — to paddle
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. band — a ring
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bass — low music
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bass — the fish
  17. perch — the fish
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. branch — a division
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. row — a line
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. band — a music group

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