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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: wind · kid · fan · roll · staff · trunk · rest · branch

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — moving air
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. rest — what's left
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. kid — to tease
  9. kid — child
  10. rest — what's left
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. rest — a break
  13. roll — a list
  14. staff — employees
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. staff — a stick
  19. roll — a cake
  20. staff — employees
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. branch — a division
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. fan — a supporter

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