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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. foot — a measure
  4. swing — to play on
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. mine — for digging
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. bore — to drill
  17. bore — to tire
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. swing — music
  20. bark — to shout
  21. swing — in golf
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. coach — a trainer
  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