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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: shower · bound · branch · field · bay · track · trunk · pitcher

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. track — a song
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. field — farmland
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. track — a path
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. shower — to wash
  11. track — to keep track
  12. bound — certain
  13. bound — obliged
  14. field — a subject
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bound — tied together
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. field — for sport
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. shower — rain
  24. branch — a division

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