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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: nail · branch · ball · spring · shower · object · pitcher · dip

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. ball — a great time
  3. spring — a coil
  4. shower — rain
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. spring — the season
  7. branch — a division
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. shower — to wash
  11. spring — of water
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. ball — a dance
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. object — an aim
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. object — to protest
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. object — a thing
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. dip — to sink
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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