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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. can — a tin
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. last — finally
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. chest — of your body
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. lean — to bend
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. lean — thin
  14. last — final
  15. bark — to shout
  16. chest — a box
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. last — to go on
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. chest — of your body
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — to be able to
  24. bark — of a tree

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