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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: bat · present · scale · fine · branch · trunk · lie · jam

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. lie — to recline
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. scale — size or range
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. scale — in music
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. fine — high quality
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. present — a gift
  19. branch — a division
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. fine — all right
  22. present — there
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. bat — the animal

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