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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 124 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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. kid — child
  4. branch — a division
  5. cue — a signal
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. cue — a hint
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. kid — to tease
  20. wind — moving air
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. cue — for pool

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