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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: branch · cabinet · club · lie · field · mate · bark · kick

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. kick — in football
  4. field — for sport
  5. club — a group
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. club — for golf
  9. mate — to breed
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. mate — a friend
  12. field — a subject
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. branch — a division
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — to recline
  19. club — for dancing
  20. mate — a partner
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. field — farmland
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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