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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: nail · mouse · pitcher · branch · tube · lean · bark · bear

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. lean — thin
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. lean — to bend
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. branch — a division
  10. tube — the underground
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bark — to shout
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. tube — a container
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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