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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. stock — shares
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. court — of law
  6. band — a music group
  7. club — a group
  8. key — the most important part
  9. court — for sport
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. key — for a lock
  12. court — of a king
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. bark — to shout
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. club — for dancing
  17. band — a ring
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. branch — a division
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. club — for golf
  22. stock — goods
  23. key — in music
  24. wake — a trail

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