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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. ball — a dance
  5. branch — a division
  6. hand — in cards
  7. clip — a video
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. clip — to cut
  11. rush — hurry
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. clip — for paper
  14. cue — for pool
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. cue — a signal
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. ball — a great time
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. bark — to shout
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. hand — help
  24. cue — a hint

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