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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bank — for money
  4. branch — a division
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. rush — hurry
  7. content — the amount
  8. content — happy
  9. chest — a box
  10. bark — to shout
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. can — to be able to
  13. bank — for money
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bank — of a river
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. chest — of your body
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. chest — of your body
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. can — a tin

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