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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 116 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: trunk · shower · branch · ball · track · snap · rash · net

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. track — a path
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. rash — a series
  6. shower — rain
  7. ball — a dance
  8. branch — a division
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. net — in sport
  11. net — for catching
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. ball — a great time
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. shower — to wash
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. net — after costs
  19. rash — hasty
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. snap — to click
  23. track — a song
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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