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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. track — a song
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. band — a ring
  6. branch — a division
  7. track — a path
  8. suit — in cards
  9. dip — to sink
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. bark — to shout
  12. squash — to crush
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. pitch — completely
  15. squash — the sport
  16. suit — to fit
  17. track — to keep track
  18. band — a music group
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. suit — clothes
  24. pitch — a sports field

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