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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fan · cabinet · tear · bark · root · rash · chest · branch

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. tear — to rip
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chest — a box
  8. tear — from crying
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. chest — of your body
  11. root — of a plant
  12. bark — to shout
  13. tear — from crying
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. rash — a series
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. root — the cause
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. branch — a division
  23. root — of a word
  24. rash — hasty

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