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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. branch — a division
  7. scale — size or range
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. rule — government
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bark — to shout
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. scale — in music
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. lie — to recline
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. rule — a law
  19. content — the amount
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. rash — a series
  22. content — happy
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lie — an untruth

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