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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. band — a ring
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. key — in music
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. branch — a division
  7. squash — the sport
  8. lean — to bend
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. key — for a lock
  11. squash — to crush
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. sharp — clever
  14. key — the most important part
  15. lean — thin
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. bark — to shout
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. band — a music group
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. rush — hurry
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. sharp — exactly

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