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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. field — for sport
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. fall — to drop
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. prune — to trim
  9. club — for dancing
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. club — a group
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. fall — the season
  15. prune — to trim
  16. fall — to drop
  17. club — for golf
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. field — a subject
  20. field — farmland
  21. bark — to shout
  22. branch — a division
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. nail — on a finger

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