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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. branch — a division
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. current — electric
  8. current — of water
  9. scale — in music
  10. rest — a break
  11. rest — what's left
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. shower — to wash
  14. lean — to bend
  15. scale — size or range
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bark — to shout
  18. rest — what's left
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. saw — the tool
  21. lean — thin
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. shower — rain
  24. current — happening now

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