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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. root — the cause
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bank — for money
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. root — of a word
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. shower — rain
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. shower — to wash
  14. row — to paddle
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. row — a line
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. bank — of a river
  20. bank — for money
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. root — of a plant
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. branch — a division

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