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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bound — tied together
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. season — in sport
  6. scale — size or range
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bound — certain
  11. rush — hurry
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. dip — to sink
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. bound — obliged
  18. spell — magic
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. season — of the year
  21. spell — letters
  22. scale — in music
  23. spell — a short time
  24. season — to add flavour

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