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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. content — the amount
  5. branch — a division
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. bulb — for light
  9. pitch — completely
  10. band — a ring
  11. bulb — for light
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. lean — thin
  15. band — a music group
  16. vault — a safe
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. lean — to bend
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. bark — to shout
  24. content — happy

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