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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: bore · trunk · pound · branch · lie · craft · chip · row

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  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. row — a line
  2. branch — a division
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. craft — a skill
  6. chip — to eat
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. pound — a weight
  18. lie — to recline
  19. bore — to tire
  20. craft — boats
  21. bore — to drill
  22. row — to paddle
  23. chip — for betting
  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