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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. staff — employees
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. bark — to shout
  8. spring — a coil
  9. ball — a dance
  10. spring — of water
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. can — a tin
  14. staff — a stick
  15. branch — a division
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. can — to be able to
  18. wound — an injury
  19. ball — a great time
  20. spring — the season
  21. can — a tin
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. staff — employees

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