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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. pop — soda
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. pop — music
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. pop — to visit
  8. lean — to bend
  9. branch — a division
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. ground — crushed
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. ground — the earth
  15. lean — thin
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. bark — to shout
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. ground — a position
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. hide — to keep secret

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