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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. fine — all right
  4. spring — the season
  5. bark — to shout
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. can — a tin
  9. branch — a division
  10. pound — a weight
  11. spring — a coil
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. wake — a trail
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. can — a tin
  16. wax — to grow
  17. spring — of water
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. can — to be able to
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. fine — high quality
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. pound — for dogs

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