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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. net — for catching
  3. bark — to shout
  4. net — after costs
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. stand — to bear
  9. wound — an injury
  10. track — to keep track
  11. track — a path
  12. wound — an injury
  13. scale — in music
  14. branch — a division
  15. firm — decided
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. scale — size or range
  18. firm — steady
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. track — a song
  21. firm — a company
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. net — in sport

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