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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 120 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: calf · band · bay · present · trunk · branch · ground · mine

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. branch — a division
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. present — a gift
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. ground — crushed
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. ground — a position
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. mine — for digging
  15. ground — the earth
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. band — a music group
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. present — there
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. present — the time now

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