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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: foot · trunk · board · ruler · bat · branch · rest · clip

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. rest — what's left
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. rest — what's left
  5. board — to get on
  6. clip — a video
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. board — a committee
  10. bat — the animal
  11. foot — a measure
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. branch — a division
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. clip — to cut
  22. clip — for paper
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. branch — of a tree

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