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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: spring · bore · patient · nail · drill · bark · fall · branch

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. branch — a division
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. spring — a coil
  5. drill — a practice
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. fall — the season
  11. spring — of water
  12. drill — army training
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bore — to drill
  15. fall — to drop
  16. drill — the tool
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. spring — the season
  23. bark — to shout
  24. bore — to tire

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