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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. squash — to crush
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. game — a match
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. bark — to shout
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. plane — a tool
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. branch — a division
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. current — electric
  14. game — wild animals
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. current — happening now
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. squash — the sport
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. current — of water
  24. branch — 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