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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. kick — in football
  5. root — of a plant
  6. branch — a division
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. toast — bread
  11. net — in sport
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. bass — low music
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. net — after costs
  17. bark — to shout
  18. season — in sport
  19. root — of a word
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. bass — the fish
  22. root — the cause
  23. season — of the year
  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