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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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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: rule · wave · trunk · field · lie · hand · fine · branch

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. hand — help
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. fine — high quality
  6. branch — a division
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. field — for sport
  10. rule — a law
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. hand — in cards
  14. fine — all right
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. rule — government
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. field — a subject
  22. lie — to recline
  23. field — farmland
  24. trunk — of a tree

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