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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 120 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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. branch — a division
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. club — a group
  7. club — for dancing
  8. wake — a trail
  9. club — for golf
  10. cue — a signal
  11. bass — low music
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. pound — a weight
  19. cue — a hint
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. cue — for pool
  23. bat — the animal
  24. bass — the fish

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