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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. rule — government
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. rule — a law
  11. ball — a great time
  12. bark — to shout
  13. branch — a division
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. stem — to come from
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. ball — a dance
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. racket — for tennis

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