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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. branch — a division
  5. mate — a friend
  6. current — happening now
  7. cell — in biology
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. bark — to shout
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. current — of water
  12. cell — a phone
  13. mate — a partner
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. current — electric
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. fork — in a road
  24. mate — to breed

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