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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. bound — tied together
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. bound — certain
  5. tear — from crying
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. branch — a division
  8. perch — the fish
  9. roll — a list
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. fall — the season
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bound — obliged
  19. roll — a cake
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. sharp — clever
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. tear — to rip
  24. bark — to shout

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