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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: saw · trunk · snap · toast · shower · branch · bound · march

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. snap — to click
  3. march — the month
  4. branch — a division
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. toast — bread
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. bound — certain
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. saw — the tool
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. saw — the tool
  14. shower — to wash
  15. march — music
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bound — obliged
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. march — the month
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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