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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. branch — a division
  3. bear — the animal
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. club — a group
  8. last — final
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bark — to shout
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. bear — the animal
  13. club — for dancing
  14. board — to get on
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. sharp — clever
  17. last — finally
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. board — a committee
  20. content — the amount
  21. club — for golf
  22. last — to go on
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. content — happy

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