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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. clip — for paper
  4. charge — in control
  5. land — ground
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bank — for money
  8. clip — a video
  9. charge — a price
  10. firm — a company
  11. bank — of a river
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. firm — decided
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. charge — electricity
  16. land — to come down
  17. clip — to cut
  18. bank — for money
  19. mark — a trace
  20. mark — a grade
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. branch — a division
  23. land — a country
  24. mark — to pay attention

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