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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. face — part of the head
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. face — to confront
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. spring — the season
  7. scale — size or range
  8. net — in sport
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. pit — in a race
  11. bark — to shout
  12. net — for catching
  13. branch — a division
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. fork — in a road
  17. face — to point toward
  18. scale — in music
  19. spring — a coil
  20. pit — a hole
  21. net — after costs
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. spring — of water

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