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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: shower · branch · bark · present · key · rest · bowl · foot

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. key — for a lock
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. key — in music
  8. present — the time now
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. branch — a division
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. present — there
  16. foot — a measure
  17. shower — rain
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. key — the most important part
  21. rest — a break
  22. shower — to wash
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. present — a gift

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