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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. roll — a cake
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. branch — a division
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. fine — all right
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. scale — size or range
  12. roll — a list
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. rush — hurry
  20. fine — high quality
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. scale — in music

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