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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. content — the amount
  4. file — a document
  5. bark — to shout
  6. file — a tool
  7. mate — a friend
  8. squash — the sport
  9. mark — a grade
  10. branch — a division
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. firm — decided
  13. mate — to breed
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. mark — a trace
  16. squash — to crush
  17. file — a line of people
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. content — happy
  20. firm — a company
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. mate — a partner

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