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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. rash — a series
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. tube — a container
  5. branch — a division
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bear — the animal
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. rash — hasty
  17. tube — the underground
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bat — the animal

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