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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. file — a document
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. march — the month
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. fork — in a road
  9. clip — to cut
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. bark — to shout
  12. march — music
  13. clip — for paper
  14. clip — a video
  15. pitch — completely
  16. key — for a lock
  17. march — the month
  18. file — a tool
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. key — in music
  22. file — a line of people
  23. branch — a division
  24. key — the most important part

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