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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 120 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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  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. bat — for baseball
  2. can — a tin
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bark — to shout
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. spell — magic
  7. spell — a short time
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bound — certain
  11. spell — letters
  12. bat — the animal
  13. squash — to crush
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. branch — a division
  18. squash — the sport
  19. bound — tied together
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — to be able to
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. bear — to put up with
  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