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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: bark · sharp · hand · current · plane · spring · saw · branch

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. hand — in cards
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. saw — the tool
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. sharp — clever
  8. plane — a tool
  9. spring — the season
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. current — electric
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. saw — the tool
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. branch — a division
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. current — happening now
  19. hand — help
  20. spring — a coil
  21. current — of water
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bark — to shout
  24. spring — of water

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