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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 120 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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. drill — a practice
  4. club — for golf
  5. wound — an injury
  6. stock — goods
  7. present — the time now
  8. club — a group
  9. stock — shares
  10. present — a gift
  11. bass — the fish
  12. wound — an injury
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. present — there
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. drill — army training
  19. drill — the tool
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. branch — a division
  23. bass — low music
  24. club — for dancing

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