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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: bound · bark · mouse · chip · shower · court · branch · object

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. court — for sport
  3. shower — rain
  4. object — to protest
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. object — an aim
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. court — of a king
  11. bound — certain
  12. chip — for betting
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. chip — to eat
  15. shower — to wash
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. court — of law
  19. object — a thing
  20. bark — to shout
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bound — tied together

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