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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: mouse · present · branch · bark · cold · lash · bank · fine

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. bank — of a river
  5. branch — a division
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. bank — for money
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. bark — to shout
  10. present — a gift
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. bank — for money
  13. fine — all right
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. present — there
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. cold — an illness
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. fine — high quality
  24. present — the time now

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