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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. branch — a division
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. firm — a company
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. cold — an illness
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. shower — to wash
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. shower — rain
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. firm — steady
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. firm — decided
  20. dip — to sink
  21. bark — to shout
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. cold — not warm

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