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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. ball — a dance
  3. wound — an injury
  4. drill — the tool
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. dip — to sink
  9. chair — a leader
  10. bank — for money
  11. wound — an injury
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. bank — of a river
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. ball — a great time
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. bank — for money
  21. bark — to shout
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. drill — army training
  24. drill — a practice

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