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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: craft · rush · ground · pound · spring · branch · cap · shower

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  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. cap — of ice
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. ground — a position
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. rush — hurry
  8. ground — the earth
  9. shower — to wash
  10. ground — crushed
  11. cap — a lid
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. spring — a coil
  14. pound — a weight
  15. cap — a hat
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. craft — a skill
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. spring — the season
  21. spring — of water
  22. craft — boats
  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