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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: roll · cap · rash · band · board · branch · trunk · file

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. cap — a hat
  4. file — a document
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. cap — of ice
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. board — a committee
  9. board — to get on
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. roll — a list
  12. cap — a lid
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. band — a ring
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. rash — a series
  17. band — a music group
  18. branch — a division
  19. file — a tool
  20. rash — hasty
  21. roll — a cake
  22. file — a line of people
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. rash — on the skin

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