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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: land · spring · branch · patient · trunk · bear · spell · mouse

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. spring — the season
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. land — a country
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. spell — a short time
  9. bear — the animal
  10. spring — a coil
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bear — the animal
  15. land — to come down
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. branch — a division
  20. spring — of water
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. spell — magic
  23. land — ground
  24. spell — letters

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