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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. hand — in cards
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. current — happening now
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. wound — an injury
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. wound — an injury
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. current — electric
  13. hand — help
  14. band — a ring
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. current — of water
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. branch — a division
  19. band — a music group
  20. bark — to shout
  21. season — in sport
  22. deal — to handle
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. season — of the year

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