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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 124 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bulb · mate · swing · cold · mark · mouse · branch · bark

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mark — a trace
  3. mate — a partner
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bark — to shout
  7. cold — an illness
  8. swing — in golf
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. mate — to breed
  12. mark — a grade
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. branch — a division
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. swing — to play on
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. cold — not warm
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. mate — a friend
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. swing — music
  24. bulb — for light

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