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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. land — ground
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. branch — a division
  6. bark — to shout
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. mine — for digging
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. dip — to sink
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. land — to come down
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. land — a country
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. branch — of a bank

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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