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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. mine — for digging
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. track — a song
  9. squash — the sport
  10. squash — to crush
  11. fine — all right
  12. track — a path
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. fine — high quality
  16. track — to keep track
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. bark — to shout
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. branch — a division

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