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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. branch — a division
  6. mark — a grade
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. date — the fruit
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. mark — a trace
  15. staff — employees
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. staff — employees
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bark — to shout
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. sharp — clever
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. staff — a stick

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