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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. charge — in control
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. chest — of your body
  5. bark — to shout
  6. face — part of the head
  7. face — to point toward
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. spring — a coil
  10. spring — the season
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. chest — a box
  13. mate — a partner
  14. charge — a price
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. mate — to breed
  17. rock — a stone
  18. mate — a friend
  19. rock — music
  20. charge — electricity
  21. branch — a division
  22. face — to confront
  23. spring — of water
  24. chest — of your body

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