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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: straw · shower · bark · branch · rock · dip · fan · mouse

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. shower — to wash
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. shower — rain
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. bark — to shout
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. rock — music
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. branch — a division
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. dip — to sink
  21. rock — a stone
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. fan — a supporter

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