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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. foot — a measure
  5. bark — to shout
  6. spring — a coil
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. branch — a division
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. spring — the season
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. can — a tin
  14. clip — a video
  15. clip — to cut
  16. clip — for paper
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. spring — of water
  19. can — to be able to
  20. stock — goods
  21. deal — to handle
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. stock — shares
  24. can — a tin

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