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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. key — the most important part
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. key — for a lock
  7. track — to keep track
  8. field — farmland
  9. field — for sport
  10. track — a song
  11. key — in music
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. sharp — clever
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. track — a path
  20. field — a subject
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. branch — a division

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