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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. branch — a division
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. bore — to drill
  8. bore — to tire
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. drill — the tool
  14. rash — a series
  15. drill — a practice
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. stock — shares
  18. rash — hasty
  19. perch — the fish
  20. drill — army training
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. bark — to shout
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. stock — goods

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