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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 dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. squash — to crush
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. fine — all right
  8. saw — the tool
  9. can — a tin
  10. bark — to shout
  11. press — to push
  12. squash — the sport
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. branch — a division
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. can — to be able to
  17. fine — high quality
  18. saw — the tool
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — the fish
  21. press — newspapers
  22. can — a tin
  23. press — a publisher
  24. fine — a penalty

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