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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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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: kid · branch · tear · safe · trunk · fork · shower · wind

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. branch — a division
  6. shower — to wash
  7. wind — moving air
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. tear — to rip
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. wind — moving air
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. tear — from crying
  19. kid — to tease
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. fork — in a road
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. tear — from crying
  24. kid — child

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