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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: trunk · spring · branch · mug · racket · bark · pop · cabinet

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. mug — a face
  3. mug — to rob
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. branch — a division
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bark — to shout
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. spring — of water
  11. pop — soda
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. mug — a cup
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. pop — music
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. pop — to visit
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. spring — a coil
  24. spring — the season

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