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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bark — to shout
  4. net — in sport
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. wind — moving air
  7. branch — a division
  8. pop — soda
  9. net — after costs
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. stock — shares
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. pop — music
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. wind — moving air
  19. vault — a safe
  20. pop — to visit
  21. stock — goods
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. net — for catching
  24. branch — of a bank

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