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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. perch — the fish
  6. branch — a division
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. rule — government
  9. rule — a law
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. bark — to shout
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. chair — a leader
  24. wake — a trail

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