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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. pitch — completely
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. branch — a division
  7. tube — the underground
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. field — a subject
  10. field — for sport
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. rock — music
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. field — farmland
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. bark — to shout
  19. rock — a stone
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. tube — a container
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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