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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: land · stem · trunk · lie · wave · branch · season · dip

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. dip — to sink
  3. land — a country
  4. land — ground
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. season — of the year
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. season — in sport
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. land — to come down
  13. branch — a division
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. stem — to come from
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. lie — to recline

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