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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. dip — to sink
  3. tube — a container
  4. squash — to crush
  5. tube — the underground
  6. swing — music
  7. swing — to play on
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. branch — a division
  11. pop — to visit
  12. scale — size or range
  13. scale — in music
  14. swing — in golf
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. squash — the sport
  18. bark — to shout
  19. pop — music
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. pop — soda
  24. bark — of a tree

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