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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: cell · plane · branch · wave · bark · band · cabinet · tear

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. cell — a phone
  6. band — a ring
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. tear — from crying
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. bark — to shout
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cell — in biology
  15. branch — a division
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. band — a music group
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. plane — a tool
  23. tear — from crying
  24. branch — of a bank

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