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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. pop — to visit
  3. branch — a division
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. pop — soda
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. pop — music
  15. scale — in music
  16. hand — help
  17. bark — to shout
  18. scale — size or range

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