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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: wind · key · sharp · mine · bark · mouse · stick · branch

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. key — in music
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. key — the most important part
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — moving air
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. sharp — clever
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. branch — a division
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. bark — to shout
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. key — for a lock

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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