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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: lean · branch · wake · snap · stand · shower · bark · press

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. branch — a division
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. shower — rain
  8. shower — to wash
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. press — to push
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. wake — a trail
  13. press — a publisher
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. lean — to bend
  17. press — newspapers
  18. bark — to shout
  19. stand — to bear
  20. lean — thin
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. bark — of a tree

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