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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. bark — to shout
  10. drill — a practice
  11. present — there
  12. band — a ring
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. band — a music group
  15. present — a gift
  16. drill — the tool
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. drill — army training
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. present — the time now
  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