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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. branch — a division
  4. track — a path
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. rock — a stone
  8. fork — in a road
  9. track — a song
  10. capital — money
  11. bark — to shout
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. track — to keep track
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. mine — for digging
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. capital — a city
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. fork — a garden tool

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