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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: shower · mark · object · branch · row · kick · pitcher · wake

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. row — to paddle
  6. branch — a division
  7. mark — a grade
  8. object — a thing
  9. object — an aim
  10. wake — a trail
  11. shower — rain
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. shower — to wash
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. mark — a trace
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. kick — in football
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. object — to protest
  24. row — a line

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