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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 116 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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. net — after costs
  3. spell — magic
  4. spell — letters
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. file — a document
  9. file — a tool
  10. spell — a short time
  11. branch — a division
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bass — low music
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. net — for catching
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bark — to shout
  20. net — in sport
  21. file — a line of people
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. bore — to tire
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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