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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bark — to shout
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. sharp — clever
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. track — a song
  10. board — a committee
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. branch — a division
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. hand — help
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. fork — in a road
  17. board — to get on
  18. track — a path
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. hand — in cards
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. perch — the fish
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. track — to keep track

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