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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: branch · date · trunk · shower · band · content · spell · bound

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. shower — to wash
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. band — a ring
  6. bound — certain
  7. shower — rain
  8. spell — a short time
  9. content — the amount
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. bound — tied together
  12. content — happy
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. branch — a division
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. date — the fruit
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. bound — obliged
  19. band — a music group
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. spell — magic
  23. spell — letters
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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