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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. kid — to tease
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. bass — the fish
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — after costs
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. club — for golf
  13. present — the time now
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. bass — low music
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bark — to shout
  18. present — there
  19. kid — child
  20. present — a gift
  21. prune — to trim
  22. club — a group
  23. club — for dancing
  24. branch — a division

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