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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: cap · file · ball · spell · deal · wound · bark · branch

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. branch — a division
  3. wound — an injury
  4. deal — to handle
  5. file — a document
  6. bark — to shout
  7. file — a line of people
  8. spell — letters
  9. spell — a short time
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. cap — a hat
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. spell — magic
  14. file — a tool
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. cap — of ice
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. ball — a great time
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. wound — an injury
  24. ball — a dance

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