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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. land — to come down
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. fork — in a road
  8. land — a country
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. branch — a division
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. pass — a permit
  14. net — in sport
  15. saw — the tool
  16. bark — to shout
  17. land — ground
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. tube — a container
  20. saw — the tool
  21. net — for catching
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. tube — the underground
  24. net — after costs

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