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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: straw · branch · plane · shower · fine · bank · cell · bark

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. bank — for money
  3. branch — a division
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. shower — to wash
  6. cell — a phone
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. fine — all right
  11. cell — in biology
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bank — of a river
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. fine — high quality
  19. plane — a tool
  20. bank — for money
  21. shower — rain
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. straw — a straw man

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