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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mark — a trace
  4. branch — a division
  5. pop — to visit
  6. bark — to shout
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. spring — of water
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. shower — rain
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. spring — the season
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. shower — to wash
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. lean — to bend
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. pop — soda
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. pop — music
  22. spring — a coil
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. lean — thin

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