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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: game · branch · bark · spell · firm · mug · land · mate

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. land — ground
  4. spell — letters
  5. game — wild animals
  6. firm — steady
  7. land — a country
  8. firm — decided
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. mate — a partner
  11. mate — a friend
  12. mate — to breed
  13. land — to come down
  14. branch — a division
  15. mug — a cup
  16. spell — magic
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. mug — to rob
  21. firm — a company
  22. spell — a short time
  23. mug — a face
  24. branch — of a tree

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