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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 120 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: mug · season · shower · branch · lean · fine · bark · wax

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. season — of the year
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. branch — a division
  5. shower — to wash
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. fine — high quality
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. lean — to bend
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. mug — a face
  14. lean — thin
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. wax — to grow
  18. season — in sport
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. mug — a cup
  21. mug — to rob
  22. fine — all right
  23. shower — rain
  24. season — to add flavour

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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