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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. net — after costs
  3. court — for sport
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. snap — to click
  6. pound — a weight
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. bank — of a river
  9. court — of a king
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. net — in sport
  13. mug — a cup
  14. mug — a face
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. branch — a division
  17. court — of law
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. net — for catching
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. bark — to shout
  23. mug — to rob
  24. bank — for money

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