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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 · bulb · branch · lean · bark · court · last · object

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. lean — thin
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. last — finally
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. last — final
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. lean — to bend
  11. object — to protest
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. court — of law
  14. bark — to shout
  15. branch — a division
  16. last — to go on
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. court — of a king
  20. court — for sport
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. bulb — for light
  23. object — a thing
  24. object — an aim

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