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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. wound — an injury
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. perch — the fish
  7. chip — for betting
  8. stock — goods
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. pop — music
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. stock — shares
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. bark — to shout
  15. pop — soda
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. chip — to eat
  20. wound — an injury
  21. pop — to visit
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. perch — for a bird

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