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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: branch · bark · mug · nail · shower · chest · fork · hand

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bark — to shout
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. mug — to rob
  7. fork — in a road
  8. shower — to wash
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. mug — a cup
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — of your body
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. branch — a division
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. shower — rain
  18. hand — help
  19. chest — a box
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. mug — a face
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. nail — on a finger

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