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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. squash — the sport
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. net — for catching
  7. branch — a division
  8. can — to be able to
  9. can — a tin
  10. tear — from crying
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. scale — size or range
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. bark — to shout
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. net — after costs
  18. tear — from crying
  19. squash — to crush
  20. plane — a tool
  21. scale — in music
  22. net — in sport
  23. tear — to rip
  24. squash — the vegetable

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