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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 · suit · spring · snap · foot · pitcher · nail · shower

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. shower — to wash
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. foot — a measure
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. suit — to fit
  7. spring — the season
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. suit — clothes
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. spring — of water
  15. suit — in cards
  16. branch — a division
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. shower — rain
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. snap — to click
  23. spring — a coil
  24. foot — part of the body

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