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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. squash — to crush
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. current — electric
  7. bark — to shout
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. march — the month
  11. march — music
  12. squash — the sport
  13. current — of water
  14. ground — the earth
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. current — happening now
  21. ground — a position
  22. branch — a division
  23. march — the month
  24. ground — crushed

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