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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. snap — to click
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. bound — obliged
  8. firm — a company
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. season — in sport
  11. branch — a division
  12. firm — decided
  13. root — the cause
  14. firm — steady
  15. root — of a plant
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. season — of the year
  18. bark — to shout
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. root — of a word
  21. bound — tied together
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. bark — of a tree
  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