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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. court — for sport
  4. season — in sport
  5. tube — the underground
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. branch — a division
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. court — of a king
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. bark — to shout
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. tube — a container
  19. net — in sport
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. court — of law
  22. net — after costs
  23. net — for catching
  24. season — of the year

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