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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. march — the month
  8. land — a country
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. branch — a division
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. land — ground
  14. stand — to bear
  15. march — the month
  16. march — music
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. mine — for digging
  21. bark — to shout
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. land — to come down

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