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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. band — a music group
  4. pop — to visit
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. branch — a division
  7. bark — to shout
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. tear — to rip
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. band — a ring
  16. tear — from crying
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. pop — soda
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. stem — to come from
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. pop — 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