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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: hand · mouse · wound · stand · branch · plane · chest · trunk

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. branch — a division
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. chest — of your body
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. stand — to bear
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. wound — an injury
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. hand — help
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. hand — in cards
  21. wound — an injury
  22. chest — a box
  23. chest — of your body
  24. plane — a tool

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