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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. chest — a box
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. staff — employees
  6. chest — of your body
  7. row — a line
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. staff — employees
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. can — to be able to
  12. row — to paddle
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. mine — for digging
  15. can — a tin
  16. deal — to handle
  17. bark — to shout
  18. can — a tin
  19. chest — of your body
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. staff — a stick

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