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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: vault · shower · branch · craft · bark · season · fork · root

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. craft — boats
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. shower — to wash
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. root — of a plant
  9. season — of the year
  10. fork — in a road
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. shower — rain
  16. season — in sport
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. bark — to shout
  20. root — of a word
  21. root — the cause
  22. craft — a skill
  23. branch — a division
  24. craft — a handicraft

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