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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: bass · bear · branch · bark · scale · shower · file · pass

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. scale — in music
  7. branch — a division
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. file — a tool
  12. shower — to wash
  13. scale — size or range
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. bark — to shout
  16. pass — a permit
  17. bass — low music
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. file — a line of people
  20. bear — the animal
  21. shower — rain
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. file — a document

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