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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. branch — a division
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. squash — to crush
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. charge — a price
  8. charge — electricity
  9. row — to paddle
  10. pass — a permit
  11. squash — the sport
  12. chip — to eat
  13. charge — in control
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. bark — to shout
  19. chip — for betting
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. row — a line

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