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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: bark · staff · coach · shower · root · branch · pit · bear

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. shower — rain
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. branch — a division
  7. pit — a hole
  8. shower — to wash
  9. root — of a word
  10. staff — employees
  11. root — the cause
  12. pit — in a race
  13. bear — the animal
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. root — of a plant
  19. staff — employees
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bear — the animal
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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