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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rash — a series
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bark — to shout
  8. snap — to click
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — to recline
  12. cue — a signal
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. cold — an illness
  17. branch — a division
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. cue — a hint
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. cue — for pool
  23. cold — not warm
  24. rash — on the skin

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