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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: squash · object · trunk · cold · wave · branch · fork · bark

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. object — a thing
  4. squash — to crush
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. cold — not warm
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. fork — in a road
  12. cold — an illness
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. squash — the sport
  18. branch — a division
  19. object — an aim
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. object — to protest
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. wave — with your hand

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