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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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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. key — for a lock
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. squash — to crush
  6. net — in sport
  7. key — in music
  8. net — after costs
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. bark — to shout
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. season — in sport
  15. branch — a division
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. season — of the year
  19. net — for catching
  20. kick — in football
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. key — the most important part
  23. squash — the sport
  24. arm — part of the body

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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