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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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Word bank
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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: mug · game · bark · object · pound · cold · branch · deal

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. object — to protest
  3. mug — to rob
  4. game — a match
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. mug — a face
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. game — wild animals
  11. deal — to handle
  12. cold — an illness
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. mug — a cup
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bark — to shout
  18. object — an aim
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. cold — not warm
  22. pound — a weight
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. object — a thing

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