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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. shower — rain
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. bass — low music
  7. vault — a safe
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. branch — a division
  10. mate — a friend
  11. rush — hurry
  12. mate — to breed
  13. mate — a partner
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bark — to shout
  18. shower — to wash
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. date — the fruit
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. branch — of a tree

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