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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 120 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: cue · pound · hide · chair · branch · shower · spring · bark

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. shower — rain
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. spring — a coil
  9. cue — a hint
  10. bark — to shout
  11. spring — the season
  12. branch — a division
  13. spring — of water
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. chair — a leader
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. cue — for pool
  20. pound — a weight
  21. shower — to wash
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. cue — a signal
  24. pound — to hit hard

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