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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: trunk · spell · branch · lie · dip · wind · stand · chest

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. spell — magic
  3. spell — letters
  4. chest — a box
  5. chest — of your body
  6. spell — a short time
  7. stand — to bear
  8. chest — of your body
  9. wind — moving air
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. dip — to sink
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. wind — moving air
  20. branch — a division
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lie — an untruth

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