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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.

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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: bark · present · rush · stick · firm · clip · roll · branch

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. firm — decided
  3. bark — to shout
  4. roll — a list
  5. present — the time now
  6. firm — a company
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. clip — to cut
  9. clip — a video
  10. rush — hurry
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. branch — a division
  15. firm — steady
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. roll — a cake
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. present — there
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. present — a gift
  24. clip — for paper

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