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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. rule — a law
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. branch — a division
  5. stock — shares
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. tube — the underground
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. rule — government
  15. game — a match
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. stock — goods
  18. tube — a container
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — to trim
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. game — wild animals

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