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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 124 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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bark — to shout
  4. branch — a division
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. tube — the underground
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. last — to go on
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — the season
  14. wound — an injury
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. last — final
  17. last — finally
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. wound — an injury
  21. fall — to drop
  22. tube — a container
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. ruler — for measuring

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