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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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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: shower · bank · bark · stock · ball · season · straw · branch

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. bank — of a river
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. ball — a great time
  5. shower — rain
  6. season — in sport
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. shower — to wash
  16. stock — goods
  17. bank — for money
  18. branch — a division
  19. stock — shares
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. season — of the year
  22. bank — for money
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. bark — to shout

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