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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 116 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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. season — in sport
  3. cold — an illness
  4. net — for catching
  5. season — of the year
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. key — in music
  10. key — for a lock
  11. cold — not warm
  12. key — the most important part
  13. bark — to shout
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. branch — a division
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. board — a committee
  20. net — after costs
  21. net — in sport
  22. board — to get on
  23. wax — to grow
  24. bark — 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