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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. pop — soda
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. pop — music
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. branch — a division
  15. spell — letters
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. spell — a short time
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bark — to shout
  22. spell — magic
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. pop — to visit

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