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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: chest · net · bark · branch · bear · root · drill · mouse

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. root — of a plant
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. branch — a division
  7. root — of a word
  8. drill — army training
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bear — the animal
  11. root — the cause
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bear — the animal
  14. drill — a practice
  15. chest — of your body
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. net — for catching
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. chest — of your body
  20. bark — to shout
  21. net — in sport
  22. net — after costs
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. chest — a box

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