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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 116 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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. board — to get on
  3. file — a tool
  4. branch — a division
  5. net — after costs
  6. net — in sport
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. track — a path
  12. file — a document
  13. bark — to shout
  14. net — for catching
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. cell — a phone
  18. track — a song
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. track — to keep track
  22. cell — in biology
  23. board — a committee
  24. file — a line of people

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