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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: root · shower · bark · key · branch · pit · jam · chest

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. branch — a division
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. chest — a box
  5. root — the cause
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. key — for a lock
  9. root — of a word
  10. pit — in a race
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. pit — a hole
  15. chest — of your body
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. key — the most important part
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. shower — to wash
  20. bark — to shout
  21. chest — of your body
  22. key — in music
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. root — of a plant

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