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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: root · branch · hide · clip · deal · court · trunk · lean

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. clip — to cut
  4. lean — thin
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. lean — to bend
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. root — the cause
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. clip — a video
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. court — of law
  14. clip — for paper
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. root — of a plant
  17. court — of a king
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. court — for sport
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. root — of a word
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. deal — to handle

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