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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. kick — in football
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. bark — to shout
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. row — to paddle
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. branch — a division
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. degree — from a university
  12. pop — to visit
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. pound — a weight
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. pop — music
  18. row — a line
  19. pop — soda
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. degree — an amount
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. degree — temperature
  24. kick — with a leg

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