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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bark — to shout
  5. track — a path
  6. branch — a division
  7. game — a match
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. wound — an injury
  10. charge — in control
  11. prune — to trim
  12. track — a song
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. track — to keep track
  17. charge — a price
  18. mark — a trace
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. charge — electricity
  22. wound — an injury
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. mark — a grade

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