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

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. lean — thin
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. shower — to wash
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. toast — bread
  14. date — the fruit
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. mine — for digging
  18. shower — rain
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. lean — to bend
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. bark — to shout
  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