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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. branch — a division
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. wake — a trail
  6. march — the month
  7. pop — music
  8. pop — soda
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. bound — certain
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. charge — electricity
  14. pop — to visit
  15. bound — obliged
  16. charge — a price
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bound — tied together
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. bark — to shout
  21. march — the month
  22. march — music
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. charge — in control

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