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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: rush · bark · land · coach · season · shower · branch · temple

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. rush — hurry
  7. land — ground
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. shower — rain
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. shower — to wash
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. branch — a division
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. season — in sport
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. land — to come down
  20. season — of the year
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. bark — to shout
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. temple — a place of worship

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