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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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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. bark — to shout
  3. branch — a division
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. net — for catching
  6. net — in sport
  7. track — a song
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. track — a path
  10. net — after costs
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. bore — to tire
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bore — to drill
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. track — to keep track

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