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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. track — a song
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. last — to go on
  5. craft — boats
  6. row — to paddle
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. bark — to shout
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. kick — in football
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. track — to keep track
  16. sharp — clever
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. craft — a skill
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. track — a path
  21. row — a line
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. last — final
  24. last — finally

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