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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 · temple · spring · bat · current · bark · bear · date

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. current — electric
  5. date — the fruit
  6. current — happening now
  7. bear — the animal
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. bat — the animal
  10. current — of water
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. bear — the animal
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. spring — a coil
  15. branch — a division
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. spring — of water
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. spring — the season

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