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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: branch · race · pound · wind · file · bark

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. branch — a division
  3. bark — to shout
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. pound — a weight
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. file — a tool
  9. race — a contest
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. race — humankind
  13. file — a line of people
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. wind — moving air
  16. race — the arms race
  17. file — a document
  18. wind — moving air

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