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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. bark — to shout
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bear — the animal
  10. cell — in biology
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. ground — a position
  13. ground — the earth
  14. spell — a short time
  15. bear — the animal
  16. cell — a phone
  17. spell — letters
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. branch — a division
  20. spell — magic
  21. content — happy
  22. ground — crushed
  23. content — the amount
  24. bark — of a tree

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