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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. kid — child
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. game — a match
  6. pop — music
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. lean — thin
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. lean — to bend
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. kid — to tease
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. bark — to shout
  18. game — wild animals
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. pop — to visit
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. pop — soda

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