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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. branch — a division
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. scale — size or range
  6. charge — in control
  7. bark — to shout
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. scale — in music
  10. pound — a weight
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. tear — from crying
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. charge — electricity
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. wind — moving air
  19. charge — a price
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. tear — from crying
  23. wind — moving air
  24. pound — to hit hard

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