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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. shower — to wash
  4. date — the fruit
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. shower — rain
  7. branch — a division
  8. key — in music
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. spell — magic
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. roll — a cake
  14. key — the most important part
  15. roll — a list
  16. spell — a short time
  17. spell — letters
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. ball — a dance
  22. ball — a great time
  23. key — for a lock
  24. date — on the calendar

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