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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 120 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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  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. bear — to put up with
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. pound — a weight
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. drill — army training
  9. row — to paddle
  10. spell — a short time
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. bark — to shout
  13. drill — the tool
  14. spell — magic
  15. bear — the animal
  16. row — a line
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. drill — a practice
  19. spell — letters
  20. branch — a division
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. bear — the animal
  23. pound — for dogs
  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