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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: nail · bark · shower · pound · bulb · wake · branch · chair

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. branch — a division
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. shower — rain
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. shower — to wash
  11. wake — a trail
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. bulb — for light
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. bulb — for light
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. chair — a leader
  21. pound — a weight
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. bark — to shout

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