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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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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: wake · spring · net · nail · deal · shower · branch · swing

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. branch — a division
  4. spring — the season
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. swing — to play on
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. swing — in golf
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. wake — a trail
  13. spring — of water
  14. shower — to wash
  15. swing — music
  16. deal — to handle
  17. spring — a coil
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. net — in sport
  20. net — for catching
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. net — after costs
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. nail — on a finger

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