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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. march — the month
  7. branch — a division
  8. shower — rain
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. march — the month
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. ball — a great time
  19. shower — to wash
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. ball — a dance
  24. march — music

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