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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. spring — a coil
  3. mug — a face
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. branch — a division
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. fork — in a road
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bark — to shout
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — a tin
  15. spring — of water
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. mug — to rob
  18. can — to be able to
  19. shower — to wash
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. spring — the season
  22. mug — a cup
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. shower — rain

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