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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. pound — a weight
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. clip — to cut
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bear — the animal
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. scale — size or range
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. scale — in music
  14. clip — a video
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. date — the fruit
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. pit — in a race
  20. bark — to shout
  21. clip — for paper
  22. bear — the animal
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. branch — a division

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