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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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 bank
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. staff — employees
  6. capital — money
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. hand — in cards
  9. staff — employees
  10. bound — certain
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. bound — obliged
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. bound — tied together
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. capital — a city
  20. staff — a stick
  21. bark — to shout
  22. branch — a division
  23. hand — help
  24. branch — of a tree

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