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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bark — to shout
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. branch — a division
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. kid — to tease
  10. fork — in a road
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. file — a line of people
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. file — a tool
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. file — a document
  24. kid — child

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