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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. prune — to trim
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. deal — to handle
  10. bark — to shout
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. branch — a division
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. net — in sport
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. net — for catching
  20. net — after costs
  21. prune — to trim
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. pitcher — a jug

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