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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. court — for sport
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. prune — to trim
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. branch — a division
  13. mate — a friend
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. perch — the fish
  16. mate — to breed
  17. court — of a king
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. prune — to trim
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. bark — to shout
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. mate — a partner
  24. court — of law

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