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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. can — to be able to
  7. march — the month
  8. march — the month
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bark — to shout
  11. sharp — clever
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. bear — the animal
  14. mark — a trace
  15. can — a tin
  16. branch — a division
  17. mark — a grade
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. can — a tin
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. march — music

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