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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. pop — music
  4. bulb — for light
  5. club — for golf
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bark — to shout
  8. branch — a division
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. club — for dancing
  11. club — a group
  12. fall — to drop
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bulb — for light
  17. pop — to visit
  18. fall — to drop
  19. pop — soda
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. fall — the season
  24. perch — the fish

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