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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. last — final
  3. mark — a trace
  4. last — finally
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. bark — to shout
  10. roll — a list
  11. wound — an injury
  12. rock — music
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. rock — a stone
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. roll — a cake
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. mark — a grade
  22. last — to go on
  23. branch — a division
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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