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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. mate — to breed
  5. swing — music
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. spring — a coil
  10. bark — to shout
  11. branch — a division
  12. toast — bread
  13. hand — help
  14. spring — the season
  15. mate — a friend
  16. mate — a partner
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. hand — in cards
  19. swing — to play on
  20. spring — of water
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. swing — in golf

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