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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. fall — to drop
  4. bulb — for light
  5. degree — temperature
  6. branch — a division
  7. bulb — for light
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. bark — to shout
  10. kid — child
  11. degree — from a university
  12. fall — the season
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bore — to drill
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. bear — the animal
  18. kid — to tease
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. bore — to tire
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. fall — to drop
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. degree — an amount

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