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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. ball — a dance
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. clip — for paper
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. pop — to visit
  12. pop — music
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. clip — a video
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bulb — for light
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. branch — a division
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. clip — to cut
  23. bulb — for light
  24. pop — soda

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