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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 120 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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. pit — a hole
  3. spell — a short time
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bank — of a river
  6. game — wild animals
  7. bark — to shout
  8. spell — magic
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. bank — for money
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. game — a match
  13. field — farmland
  14. bank — for money
  15. spell — letters
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. branch — a division
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. vault — a safe
  22. pit — in a race
  23. field — a subject
  24. field — for sport

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