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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. firm — decided
  3. ground — the earth
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. firm — steady
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. ground — crushed
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. chair — a leader
  10. branch — a division
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. firm — a company
  13. band — a music group
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. clip — a video
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. pit — in a race
  18. pit — a hole
  19. bark — to shout
  20. ground — a position
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. clip — for paper
  23. band — a ring
  24. clip — to cut

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