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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. branch — a division
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. wound — an injury
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. race — a contest
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. bark — to shout
  13. wound — an injury
  14. lean — to bend
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. race — the arms race
  19. bulb — for light
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. bulb — for light
  23. lean — thin
  24. race — humankind

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