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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 dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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 — to shout
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. pop — music
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. rash — hasty
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. pop — to visit
  13. capital — money
  14. court — for sport
  15. rash — a series
  16. court — of a king
  17. squash — the sport
  18. capital — a city
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. branch — a division
  22. court — of law
  23. squash — to crush
  24. pop — soda

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