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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. pass — a permit
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. row — a line
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. bark — to shout
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. shower — rain
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. bore — to tire
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. row — to paddle
  21. bore — to drill
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. branch — a division
  24. shower — to wash

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