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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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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: mark · shower · branch · suit · face · land · bark · spring

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. land — to come down
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. face — to confront
  5. mark — a trace
  6. spring — a coil
  7. land — a country
  8. spring — of water
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. face — to point toward
  12. mark — a grade
  13. suit — to fit
  14. suit — clothes
  15. land — ground
  16. face — part of the head
  17. branch — a division
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. shower — to wash
  20. spring — the season
  21. shower — rain
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. suit — in cards
  24. branch — of a tree

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