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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 bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. spring — a coil
  5. land — ground
  6. pit — in a race
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. land — a country
  12. spring — of water
  13. land — to come down
  14. branch — a division
  15. shower — to wash
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. shower — rain
  20. pit — a hole
  21. spring — the season
  22. bark — to shout
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. safe — a strongbox

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