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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: straw · rash · bear · bank · lean · sharp · branch · bark

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. rash — hasty
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. branch — a division
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bank — for money
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. bank — of a river
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. lean — thin
  16. rash — a series
  17. sharp — clever
  18. bark — to shout
  19. bank — for money
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. bear — the animal
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. sharp — exactly

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