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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. charge — electricity
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. march — the month
  6. spell — a short time
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. cue — a hint
  9. march — music
  10. charge — a price
  11. march — the month
  12. cue — for pool
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. saw — the tool
  16. cue — a signal
  17. spell — letters
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. branch — a division
  20. spell — magic
  21. bark — to shout
  22. charge — in control
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. arm — part of the body

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