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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 120 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: bay · stick · branch · shower · band · spring · sharp · saw

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. band — a music group
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. band — a ring
  7. shower — to wash
  8. spring — the season
  9. spring — a coil
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. sharp — clever
  14. shower — rain
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. saw — the tool
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. branch — a division
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. spring — of water
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. saw — the tool

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