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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 116 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. row — a line
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. row — to paddle
  8. march — music
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bulb — for light
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. march — the month
  14. bulb — for light
  15. march — the month
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. branch — a division

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