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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. roll — a list
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. roll — a cake
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. branch — a division
  9. hand — help
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. clip — for paper
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. bark — to shout
  14. clip — a video
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. hand — in cards
  19. staff — employees
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. staff — employees
  22. clip — to cut
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. staff — a stick

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